


Guerrin Security Consultants - On Hold

by Europolarist



Category: Dragon Age II, Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Romance, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-14
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-03-30 14:26:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 63,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3940237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Europolarist/pseuds/Europolarist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marian Hawke and her team of security specialists stumble upon a Collector Ship. The Council  decides to change her career plans.</p>
<p>Expect any and all characters from both universes (universi??) to make appearances. Not a typical cross-over, these Dragon Age stars will find themselves helping the Systems Alliance and the Galaxy fight off the Reapers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Unfortunately the muse has put this one on pause, with only like 3-4 chapters to go (of course). I still intend on finishing it, but I don't wanna lead you guys and ladies on. I should come back soon on this one, but... the muse is fickle and requires sacrifices that I can't throw into the volcano.

Chapter 1  
The familiar crackle of a comm. line opening sounded in Marian’s ear as she rounded the corner.

“Hey, Boss,” Varric called out. “We’ve got a strange reading up here. Come and check it out?”

Marian frowned, and spun on her heel to head back to the base camp. Her squad had been on Garvug for two weeks providing security for Professor Genitivi’s students. So far their time had been wasted, not one sign of mercs or slavers or anything, just a few drunk kids from the dig site that needed to be escorted to their pre-fab dormitories.

It didn’t take her long to reach the one room cabin that held all the tech for the two security teams currently stationed on the planet once given to the Krogan.

“What’s going on?” she asked, finding both Sebastian and Daveth hovering over the holoscreen in the corner.

“Chantry-boy spotted an anomaly spiking about 10,000 klicks out,” Varric announced stepping out of the corner.

“An anomaly?” she asked, looking her sniper over. Nearly a month of light duty could wear down teams such as hers, and Marian thought maybe he’d just been looking for some excitement.

Varric waved his hand and Daveth, a team member from Alfstanna’s group, pulled up a video feed and the sound layer from the clip. The image on the holo screen was blurry, and with the image being of deep space it was nearly impossible to see it, but a black shadow passed in front of the satellite and a sharp spike of energy was recorded on the sound layer.

“Maker’s breath,” she muttered, instantly recognizing the shape from intel she’d received just a few days prior.

“Get the ship ready. We leave in five,” she ordered, looking over at Varric. 

Her dwarven companion nodded and raced out of the room, while Marian turned toward Daveth.

“Get Alfstanna on the line,” she said, trying to keep the panic from her voice. 

She’d seen the reports from the human alliance, the images that the Spectre Shepard had published of the Collector Ship that the SSV Normandy had disabled were burned into her mind. The human had been the leader of the team that was preparing for the arrival of the Reapers. He’d blown up the Collector Base and returned to the Alliance, after a covert op inside the human supremacist group Cerberus, and the Council had been warning various industries and security providers, such as Guerrin Security Consultants, about the impending invasion. 

The average civilian had no idea what was coming, Marian assumed it was to keep panic and crime to a minimum; but Teagan had alerted his entire company on the information shared by Councilor Dumar. 

“Hawke, what is it?”

The familiar sound of the other squad leader brought Marian back to the present.

“We’ve got collectors in the vicinity,” she said, speaking into her visor’s microphone. The HUD may have been turned off, but the commlink was never shut down. “I’m taking my team up to greet them. Have your squad start the evacuation procedure if Genitivi and his team can get their equipment packed up.”  
“Maker’s Luck go with you, Hawke,” Alfstanna Eremon replied. “Will attempt to reach you in t-minus 60 minutes. Mark.”

The line went dead. This is what their teams had been trained to handle and everything was going to go according to the rules and procedures lined out and signed by the GSC team members.

Marian started the timer on her HUD to ensure she kept an eye out on how long since radio silence had been initiated. Both she and Alfstanna were leaders of the squads that were sent out for normal security measures. There were a couple of smaller teams, but the two squads currently on Garvug made up the bulk of the specialists on the payroll.

“Bethany, where’s the ship?” she called out to her sister’s commline.

“Prepped and ready to go at landing pad 12.”

Marian flipped the channel.

“All hands to Pad 12,” she said. “We have bugs.”

Sebastian raced out of the pre-fab unit just a few steps ahead of Marian as she ensured their portable tech was packed up and secured. The tall red-head carried two cases with equipment as she carried a third. 

It took just over five minutes for Sebastian and Marian to make their way to the ship hanger quadrant at the dig site. When they reached the landing pad, the sleek black and red frigate sat ready and waiting for them. Merrill and Fenris looked to be the last of her crew to join with the others. 

She handed the tech to Fenris as they climbed into the hatch. The decon system cycled through and in ten seconds they had been cleared of all Garvug’s pests.

“What’s the time?” she called out to the PA system.

“Wheels’ up in 90 seconds, Captain,” Bethany replied over the loudspeaker. “All crew is aboard.”

“Battle stations, people,” she called out, stepping through the airlock and onto the main level where the Navigation room and many of the frigate’s monitoring stations were. The stairwell to the bridge was behind her while Marian walked to the wartable where the galaxy map holoscreen was located. 

“Warm up the Thanix and get the shielding up to 100%,” she ordered. “We all know what a collector ship can mean.”

Varric walked up behind her and began working at the station to her left, his fingers dancing over the terminal like he handled Bianca, his Thunder IV assault rifle. Varric loved that gun like a woman. Marian still had no idea how he handled the recoil on the large weapon; but Varric wouldn’t be parted with it. 

“How’s our stealth drive?” Marian called out.

“Up and running,” Calian replied, from his post at a terminal. 

“Where’s our technician?” she asked.

“Still in the pods,” Calian said. 

“Wake them up. I need everyone ready for this. Calian, you’re my field medic, not a tech specialist.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the blond called out.

Within a few minutes, Bethany had them well into the upper atmosphere, racing away from the planet as Sebastian searched for the signature he’d spotted at the site. 

“I’ve got something on the radar,” Merrill called out.

“Bring it up on the monitor.”

Within seconds the image of a large ship filled the screen. With armor that looked biological, the ship was awesome in the most terrible definition of the word.

“Someone pull up Shepard’s data,” she managed to whisper. Somewhere behind her, fingers tapped out the search and information scrolled across the holo in rapid succession. ”I want confirmation that that thing out there is what we think it is.

“Wait,” Merrill interrupted. “There’s a mass effect field emitting some strange radiation near the star.”

“Are you sure it’s not a solar flare?”

Klaxons began ringing in her ears as the team watched on the monitor as the collector ship began turning toward them.

“Bethany,” she shouted. “Evasive maneuvers until we get situated.”

“Aye, Captain!” Bethany confirmed.

The ship lurched as her sister powered on the thrusters to give them some space from their attackers. 

“Shields at 97%,” Merrill shouted.

“We haven’t even been targeted yet,” an engineer shouted, panic in her voice.

The ship banked, tossing Marian and the others, who weren’t strapped into their consoles, around the room.

Marian righted herself and reached down to activate the magnets in her boots. Grav systems and inertial dampeners hadn’t quite powered back on and if the systems got knocked out completely, Marian did not want to end up bashing her skull on a bulkhead.

Glancing around, she noticed the others activating their boots as well.

“We’ll be in range of their cannons in 54 seconds.”

“What’s the status of the EMP generator?”

“One minute 25 seconds,” one of the tech team shouted.

“We’re gonna need those cannons up and running now,” she called out. “Remind me to get an upgrade when we get back to Thedosian space.”

“Fenris,” she called out. “Get your team to get me everything they can find on the collector ships. Ports of entry, location of engines, everything. Hack the Cerberus files if you need to.”

“Acknowledged, Hawke.”

The ship began a wide turn as Bethany moved them to face the large cruiser-class sized ship, reported on by the sensors and scanners within the ship. 

“Maker’s breath!” someone shouted.

Another klaxon sounded. 

Marian’s terminal lit up with a holo of the collector ship downloaded from one of the extranet’s more classified sites. 

“Kinetic Barrier at 75%.”

“Turn that blasted klaxon off. We know we’re under attack,” Varric growled at one of his teammates through the comms. 

She swiped away layers of information, zeroing in on the location of the mass effect core on the collector ship. It was large enough to fit an entire Thedosian fleet inside. 

That was the EMP cannon’s target. 

She pressed her finger to the core, lighting the area with a touch.

The ship shook and Marian reached out to grab a handlebar.

“Bethany, what was that shudder?!”

“Venting mass effect core discharge,” her sister reported over the comms.

“Cannons are up and running,” Sebastian reported.

“Blast that sucker into smithereens,” Varric cackled, sounding eerily like one of the Gavorn brothers from her rebellious days.

“EMP generator up and running, serah.”

“Dynamics?” she called out.

“Being calculated. Gimme ten seconds.”

“Prepare to fire,” she shouted then flipped on the comms. “This is our target. Make sure we don’t miss,” she said, sending the hologram to all terminals on the navigation deck.

“This is Captain Hawke. EMP firing in thirty seconds. Prepare for richochet. Mark.”

She flipped the comms off.

“1 6 5 point 3 5 point 1 5,” the dynamics tech called out.

“Keep her steady, Bethany!” Marian called out to her sister in the flight deck. “EMP firing in ten,” she warned, watching the digital clock click forward.

“Target sighted,” one of the men in the radar squad shouted.

Thirty two minutes and fifty five seconds after radio silence with Alfstanna’s team Marian punched the button on her console. The ship rattled as the mass effect core diverted power to the EMP generator and back up barriers rippled around the hull, in an unseen but familiar sensation.

The ship rattled with the explosion and Marian grabbed the bar at the terminal to keep from flying through the air despite her mag boots.

Ten seconds passed while she waited for the reverb to stop.

“Direct hit,” Varric grinned, reading the monitor.

“Let’s turn her around,” she ordered Bethany.

The ship looped around, and for the first time Marian got a good look at the collector ship as the camera feed reported back the images from outside the ship. It was large, at least double the size of the dreadnaughts of the quarian fleets. Quadruple or more times larger than the Thedosian Cruiser that her twin brother had been stationed on six months ago.

“Holy Maker,” she muttered under her breath. 

“Control, report,” she said, realizing the room was still full of her crew members.

“The ship’s core seems to have taken the brunt of the EMP. Rapid cooling is evidence of a shut down. A ship that size would take ten, twenty minutes to power back up.”

“Let’s get the cannon charged back up so we can disable it permanently.”

“You want it in pieces, Captain?” 

“Disable, do not destroy. We need to find out why the collectors are still around.”

“Thought that human, Shepard, took care of them,” Merril’s voice echoed over the radio.

“Point,” she said. “Now cut the chatter. We have a ship to disable.”

Twenty minutes later, after a second firing of the EMP, Merrill’s team confirmed no signs of life on the ship. It didn’t mean they were all dead, but hiding enough so that she’d have some confidence they could take the ship.

Marian ordered her ground team to the shuttle bay and flipped on her link to Alfstanna.

The line cracked open instantaneously.

“Hawke, Alfstanna here,” her partner called out. The link was filled with static and Marian grew concerned.

“This is Hawke, what’s the sitrep?”

“All clear. Nothing has appeared planet side.”

“Keep an eye out,” Marian responded. “We’ve got a ship. I’m leading a team to head in. We’ll check things out and report back at 1800.”

“Aye. Catch ya on the flip side.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marian's ground teams check out the collector ship.

Chapter 2

The shuttle landed softly in the shuttle bay of the now defunct collector ship. Readings indicated that even the vacuum shields had gone down when the EMP fired. It would not be safe to leave the shuttle without the proper gear on.

Marian double checked her suit’s seals and, after receiving the go/no-go results from her crew members, activated the airlock and waited for the shuttle door to open, stepping out onto the deck.

If for some reason the collector ship did power back on, Marian had charged Bethany to take command of the ship and to get Alfstanna’s team and Professor Genitivi’s men to Thedosian territory. Her sister would also need to report the death of herself and the ground team she’d taken to the collector ship.

Though she didn’t plan on dying on this Maker-forsaken vessel, it was better to have a plan in place than not. There was no way that the Collectors would take her alive.

She flicked her wrist, bringing up her omni-tool interface and sent the layout of the ship to all the members of the teams.

“This is our entry point,” she said, highlighting the bay. “We will split into two teams. Varric will lead Fenris and Merrill through the upper passages to see if there are any colonists aboard. Cailan and Sebastian, you’re with me. We are here on an information gathering mission. I don’t want any heroics, we get in and out. Are we clear?”

“Yes, serah,” the team called out.

Not for the first time did Marian wish that she had a Grey Warden with the team.

The Grey Wardens, once used to combat blights, had gone underground for centuries when the final blight ended. When, nearly four years ago, it was determined that they could also sense husks and individual reaper units with their sinister secret powers; word spread rapidly through the Thedosian corporate world of the benefits of the Grey Wardens and now their recruitment numbers were growing exponentially.

“From Spectre Shepard’s reports, we know that these ships contain stasis pods, likely filled with various citizens of the galaxy. If they are still alive, we need to get as many people out as possible. Under no circumstances will anyone touch anything without proper authority. Do not touch consoles or comms or stasis pods until they have been deemed safe by either Varric or myself. We need to gather as much intel as possible, but we don’t need to attract any attention. There is no way that this ship is free of hostiles. If you are overrun, get back to the shuttles. Only engage the Collectors if they engage you first.”

The gathered team members nodded.

Within ten minutes of her arrival on the collector ship, Marian was leading her team toward the secured core, where they hoped to access the main terminals. Having ordered radio silence, the comms were quiet as Marian walked down the strange organic hallways of the ship.

“Sending Keeper II out to map our path,” Marian whispered.

With a confirming nod from Cailan at her six, Marian nodded and released her VI drone, typing in orders as it flew through the hallway. The VI would collect information at a much quicker rate and return before her team could even locate the command center.

They walked a few minutes more, ducking down dark hazy passageways and taking point and covering each other as they advanced down the path. Though she didn’t have military training, Marian knew how to lead a team and excelled at her duties.

It didn’t take too long before the drone returned, and Marian couldn’t have hoped for better news than it reported.

“There is a locked door one hundred yards ahead that seems to lead directly to the control room. I estimate it will take Sebastian sixty seconds to hack through the firewalls.”

“Any sight of collectors?”

“No, Hawke,” the VI replied.

Marian nodded.

“Hawke,” Cailan whispered. “My ‘tool reports ten heat signatures headed straight for us, from the rear.”

Marian turned around, grabbing the SMG at her side and aimed it down the hall, waiting for the group to arrive. Giving hand signals, she pointed the men to where she wanted them and the two companions moved to position.

A large guardian class collector appeared in the hazy dust of the hall, immediately firing an assault rifle targeted at her team.

Seeing the size of the creature, Marian shouted orders as Sebastian cloaked and moved to a prime location where he could snipe the monsters. The flapping of wings caught her attention and Marian looked above them to see three assassins-spec’ed collectors ready to drop on their heads.

Merrill threw up a shield, protecting herself and Cailan, leaving Sebastian outside to finish off the guardian.

Marian emptied a clip into the assassin diving straight toward her infiltrator.

Two collector drones rushed into the fight and Marion used her off-hand to shoot electricity through their bodies, causing them to seize and fall to the ground. Cailan switched out his pistol and shot the two drones point blank.

Marian changed back to her SMG and fired a series of shots at the collector attempting to remove Sebastian’s head from his body. The beast stumbled back, her bullets hitting its shoulder; but at least it dropped Sebastian.

As she popped a heat sink, Marian released a couple of drones from her ‘tool, the holographic weapons shooting out electric pulses as they sped through the air toward their targets. She could hear the sizzle of skin as the blue glowing interfaces attempted to short circuit the hearts of the creatures and Marian shot both dead as they screamed. Behind her, Marian heard Cailan unloading his clip into the collectors in front of him.

A few seconds later the shots died down and Marian took a look around. Eleven collectors, all dead.

“Everyone okay?” she asked.

Her two teammates nodded, Cailan kicking one of the monsters in the head for extra measure. She could see a couple of mini-applications of medi-gel being administered on her HUD, but nothing more than a graze or two. No need for her field medic to stop the action at this point.

“Let’s keep moving.”

Another twenty minutes passed as they made their way through the corridors and toward the command center. Marian and her team fought off at least three more groups before Keeper II announced that they’d reached the central hub of the collector ship. One hundred yards had never felt so long.

Just before she ordered Sebastian to hack the locks, a call went out over the comm. unit.

“We found the colonists,” Varric reported.

“Get as many of those colonists out as possible and head back to the shuttles. We are at central command. I’ll report back when we’re finished.”

No more words came through the line and Marian nodded to Sebastian, who turned to the terminal and began sifting through the layers of protection on the lock.

“Cailan, does your tool report anything?”

“Something large behind the door,” he said. “Only one heat signature, but emitting more biotic power than anything the program has faced before. It doesn’t read like a praetorian, but…”

Marian nodded, thankful for the weekend training session her teams had gone through on collectors, provided by the Council and C-sec. It stood to reason that the commander of the ship was in the most secure location. They were about to face the most important being on the ship. It would not go down easily.

“Be ready for anything,” she said, ensuring that her weapons were ready to fire.

Unclipping her Raptor, Marian glanced down at Sebastian.

“Almost got it,” he whispered.

Marian took point near the door. Her shields were fully recharged and her weapon ready to fire.

First glance in the room was to note the large central column of tech. The holos glowed with various symbols and data that she couldn’t decipher.

“Keeper, get everything you can off those machines. Keep it local.” If the consoles were being wiped by external forces or if the Collectors had blocked access, she wanted to have the VI gather everything possible. And if the data was corrupted, she had a back up omni-tool and the Keeper III on the ship. Though they had the ability to, Marian didn’t want the data broadcasted to the ship’s main computers through their wireless connection.

“Authorization?” the VI asked, needing the confirmation code to override the firewalls on her omnitool.

“L25KP87.”

The VI rushed through the room to begin downloading information.

A low growl caught her attention, and Marian turned to see a Collector General, the largest beast she’d ever seen, rushing at her.

Shots rang out as Sebastian and Cailan unleashed their weapons on the charging beast.

Marian tried to move out of the way, but she felt frozen in place as the four-eyed monster jumped over a terminal.

Shoot it, she shouted at herself. Maker, damn you.

Just before the General crashed into her, Marian managed to release a couple rounds into its chest.

Expecting to fly backwards, Marian was shocked as something hit her from the side and knocked her to the ground.

“What in the Maker’s name were you doing?” Sebastian shouted at her, crushing her body with his, protecting her from falling debris. When she couldn’t find her voice, Sebastian jumped off her body and grabbed her arm, lifting her up off the floor before turning and activating his cloak to move into position.

Marian shook her head clear, unsure what had just happened. They had a General to disable and she’d just stood there like an untried child.

There was no time to dwell on her mistake.

She aimed her gun and fired at the collector as it fought with Cailan. Desperately, Marian wished her team was larger; they would need more fighters if they expected to go up against the collectors en masse again.

His shields flickered as he shoved an elbow into the left side of the beast’s face. Sebastian unloaded a clip into the general’s chest, barely slowing the beast down. Marian shot electricity through the air and Cailan shanked the General with both omniblades. She hadn’t realized her field medic had fitted his armor with two omnitools.

The beast staggered back, his shielding failing.

Marian shot it again with electricity and as soon as the biotic spell completed Sebastian shot the body from his position standing on a nearby terminal. Cailan picked up his pistol and shot its face.

The General fell to the ground, blood spilling over the floor. Marian unloaded the last of her SMG rounds into the monster’s head.

“Keeper, update,” Marian shouted as her squad stepped back.

“Drives are at 67% capacity. There won’t be enough room on the tool to store all the info.”

“Hawke,” Varric’s voice broke though, but her HUD didn’t register the open line. Marian realized that he’d hacked the ship’s systems. “20 seconds ago we registered an alarm signal originating from your location.”

“Shit,” she spat, under her breath.

“Any idea what alarm was triggered?”

“Countdown of sorts, it could be a self-destruct,” Fenris said over the radio.

“How much time do we have?”

“If my calculations are correct?” Merrill said. “T minus Eight minutes and 24 seconds.”

“Maker’s breath,” she said. “Get to the extraction point, now!”

Marian turned around to see her team staring at her.

“Go,” she ordered.

“Keeper, fill your database then follow us out. The rest is lost.”

“Yes, Hawke,” the VI replied.

Marian flipped open the channel to the Lothering.

“Bethany, prepare for FTL jump,” she said. “This ship is set to blow.”

“Aye, Captain,” Bethany replied from the ship.

Marian raced along the hallways, using her tool to guide her back to the shuttle location.

“T minus five minutes,” Merrill called out over the radio.

“Hawke, we have escape pods evacuating from the collector ship,” Bethany piped in.

“Shoot them down. Shoot them all down. We are headed to the shuttle bay.”

She raced another fifty paces or so then amended her order.

“This is a direct order from Captain Hawke to the _Lothering_ ,” she said, knowing that the ship’s systems would be recording her words. If they didn’t make it, Marian wanted Teagan to know that she ordered her sister away from the collector ship. “Move away from the collector’s vessel. Prepare to jump through the relay. We will use the shuttles to get back to you.”

A multitude of explosions outside the ship caused the floor to rock from the aftershocks.

“T minus three minutes.”

“We managed to get about fifty colonists out of the pods before they started to liquefy,” Varric announced.

Marian cringed, knowing that there had likely been thousands of colonists in the ship, all of them now dead.

“T minus two minutes.”

“The last of them are aboard shuttle 2,” Merrill called out over the open line as Marian raced down the hall. “We’ve cleared the ship.”

“Hawke, Fenris stayed behind to prep your shuttle for departure.”

“Thanks,” Marian said, and flipped off her mic.

Marian and her team rounded the corner. If they were lucky the second shuttle would take off in a minute, if they were unlucky, they would get blown up along with the ship.

Keeper II buzzed past them overhead.

“Databank full,” it said, reaching the shuttle a two seconds before them.

“Let’s get this bitch up in the air,” Marian shouted at Fenris as she slid into the open shuttle door.

The cockpit lit up as Fenris finished punching in the startup codes. The doors close behind them.

“T minus thirty seconds, Captain.”

“Make the jump,” she ordered Bethany. “We won’t clear the blast range.”

“We’ll be right back, Captain,” Bethany’s voice called out over the radio.

“Good luck,” she said, though she knew the Lothering had already made the jump.

Systems engaged and Fenris pushed the controls forward as the shuttle lifted off of the bay floor and raced toward the exit.

“T minus ten,” Keeper II announced.

Marian buckled herself into her seat.

“Brace yourselves,” she said, gripping the handle on the bulkhead nearby.

The shuttle raced through space in order to clear the explosion, but it would be futile.

“Three, two, one,” the VI announced.

Marian looked around the shuttle to see Sebastian and Cailan white as sheets.

The vacuum of space kept them from hearing the cruiser explode behind them, but they felt it as the wave of debris blasted their shields and knocked the shuttle off course. They tumbled end over end as alarms sounded in the small shuttle. From her seat, Marian tried to make sense of the lights on the console as Fenris attempted to stop their roll.

“Thrusters two and three offline,” he shouted, reaching out and turning off indicator lights. “Main Bus 2 offline. Satellite offline. Mass Effect core offline.”

“Maker’s breath,” Sebastian muttered.

The spinning was making Marian queasy, as the explosion and debris came in and out of view while they tumbled. Some of the screens had gone black, Marian was sure the cameras had been destroyed with the impact of debris.

She unclipped her belt and floated through the ship toward the cockpit.

“We’re gonna have a shuttle full of sick if we don’t get those thrusters back,” she growled out, taking the co-pilot seat.

She quickly keyed in her override and started clearing alarms and restarting systems.

Behind her, Cailan hurled.

“Shit,” Sebastian shouted. Marian could visualize her brogue-voiced infiltrator jumping back in his seat to avoid projectiles.

A seat unbuckled and Marian hit the door lock. Sebastian could take care of their field medic while she helped Fenris get them righted, or at least stop their end-over-end toppling.

“What do the systems show?” she asked, a few minutes later as she finally got thrusters four and five to fire enough to slow their spin to a soft roll.

“The collector ship is gone, decimated in the blast,” he said. “Camera 2, 5, and 7 are fried. Camera 3 and 4 show massive damage to our heat shields and Camera 6 is nothing but deep space.”

Marian groaned.

“Are we venting anything?”

He glanced over to the console.

“No. But the main antenna is out. We’ll have to conduct an EVA or two to get it repaired and back online. Until then, we’re flying blind.”

Marian sighed, of course they were.

The comms on their suits only had a ten mile radius, the shuttle was used as a signal booster, and without the antennas they were sunk.

“Any idea where exactly we’re located?”

“Even without the debris from the ships, we wouldn’t be able to tell. Nav is malfunctioning. It says we’re somewhere in the Sol System.”

Marian sighed, resisting the urge to cover her faceplate with her gloved hands.

“Well, unless we managed a few Relay jumps during the explosion, that’s not right.”

Fenris let out a rare chuckle.

“I suggest you and Sebastian head out of the ship for the EVA,” he said a few moments later. “Cailan can direct your repairs from inside while he recovers.”

“A sound plan,” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“As soon as we clear some of this debris, we’ll plan an EVA. You know as well as I that it won’t be safe out there for another few hours. The radiation will short-circuit the suits. Not to mention the shrapnel cloud.”

Fenris nodded.

“If you can figure it out, place our heading back toward the point of origin. At least it should be clear of debris at the site.”

She stopped just before tagging on that Bethany would know the blast location, if nothing else.

Fenris nodded again, looking up at her, seeming to catch her unspoken words.

“Might as well get comfortable now that we’ve stopped spinning. It’s gonna be a long night.”

Marian stood from her seat and began unclipping her armor.

She pressed the door open to see Sebastian cleaning up the vomit and Cailan looking slightly green.

“We’ll EVA in four hours,” she said. “That should be enough time to get clear of this mess.”


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
Marian’s omni-tool buzzed, waking her from the catnap she’d managed to snag. She’d been awake for nearly 30 hours prior to the explosion and knew it wouldn’t be long before she needed to take a stim to keep her awake for the EVA.

  
Cailan was still nauseous from the explosion and Fenris had been working non-stop to get the internal systems up and running; but the fact remained that she needed to check on the ship outside and fix the antennas, and whatever other systems had been damaged.

  
“We’ve cleared enough debris for it to be safe for EVA, Hawke,” Fenris called out from his seat.

  
“How are you holding up?” she asked, unsnapping her undersuit from the sleeping station.

  
“Took a stim a couple hours back. Should be okay until you guys come back in, but damn I could use a nap.”

  
“We all could,” she said, glancing at Sebastian buckled into his seat.

  
“Anything happen over the last couple hours?”

  
“Systems are stable. No emergency broadcasts have been caught by our antenna. Our radar isn’t even sending out pings.”

  
“With all this ship debris we probably look like a shred of the mass effect core,” she grunted.

  
“Indeed,” Fenris said. “The sooner we get the antenna up and the radar restarted the better.”

  
Marian turned to Sebastian.

  
“We don’t have any more time. We wait much longer and they’ll declare us dead.”

  
Sebastian and Cailan nodded.

  
“Suit up. EVA in ten.”

  
Cailan floated across the shuttle and began grabbing Sebastian’s suit pieces, helping him into the EVA suit. Marian went over to the second suit, pulling it from storage and wasn’t surprised to see Fenris at her side, ready to help her in.

  
It took twenty minutes to get fully suited and ready for the EVA. Double checking for her tether cord, Marian placed herself at the doorway. Both Fenris and Cailan had also donned their vacuum-spec’ed gear should the airlock malfunction on exit. Better to be safe than dead.

  
“Alright, Fenris,” Marian called out through the comm.

  
Fenris hit the button to stabilize pressure, once the venting had finished the shuttle door opened to the darkness of space. The star was far off, maybe a degree or half a degree wide in the sky. She looked around, few sparkles of debris remained which meant less likelihood of shrapnel tearing open their armor. Sure they had shields up and operational, but nothing guaranteed to stop metallic debris ripping through the armor.

  
She clipped the tether to the bar and stepped out into space, floating out of the ship to give Sebastian room to climb out as well.

  
“Comm check. One two.”

  
“Reading you loud and clear, Hawke,” Fenris’ voice said.

  
Thank the Maker, she thought. Without comm. units from suit to suit, they’d have to cancel the EVA and hope someone passed by within range.

  
Marian tugged her tether and allowed herself to fly toward the back of the shuttle where the access panels were.

  
Sebastian had the tool belt on him and followed her path.

  
Undoing the locks, Marian swung the charred panel open, thankful that at least this part of the shield held together.

  
“What’s the antenna situation,” she asked.

  
“High gain antenna is shattered. I’ll need to replace it completely.”

  
“Good thing we have an extra on board,” she muttered, taking a look into the guts of the shuttle.

  
Marian turned on her camera to show Cailan what she saw.

  
“It looks like hydraulics are all on-line,” the tech-savvy male replied. “You’ll need to reset electrical and RCS, but I can talk you through that.”

  
“Seb,” she said, “once the antenna is replaced, I need you to head to the thruster system. Looks like I’ll be busy back here for a while.”

  
“Aye, Hawke.”

  
Five hours later, the mass effect core was back online, their thrusters were back and RCS and Electric systems were up and running.

  
“Alright,” Fenris said, as the door closed behind them. “All systems are rebooted and running smoothly.”

  
“Go ahead and flip on the radio,” she said. “Send out a beacon, and start calling for the team. Hopefully someone will be around soon.”

  
Marian dropped into the co-pilot seat, exhausted.

  
“Emergency Broadcast 5542. This is Shuttle Drakonis, of the privately-owned frigate Lothering. If there are any Thedosian ships in the vicinity, please respond.”

  
Marian unsnapped her helmet and took it off, waiting as Fenris called out the emergency broadcast.

  
“Repeat, Emergency Broadcast 5542. This is Thedosian Shuttle Drakonis. IF there are any Council ships in the vicinity please respond.”

  
“Drakonis,” a voice crackled in through the intercom. “This is The Waking Sea, it’s good to hear your voice.”

  
Marian sighed in relief.

  
It took another two hours for The Waking Sea, Alfstanna’s ship, to reach their position as it navigated through the debris field. With the mass effect core running, but only at 20%, Pilot Kaitlyn Bevin had ordered that the shuttle stay put.

  
When Fenris sidled the shuttle into the Waking Sea’s shuttle bay, cleared of their normal shuttle fleet, Marian breathed easy once more. After today’s mission, she was going to order the teams to the Citadel for repairs and shore leave. They all deserved it. But first she needed to check in with Professor Genitivi and his students.

  
The shuttle door opened and Marian allowed her team to step out before her.

  
Walking out into the bay, Marian was shocked to see most of the frigate’s crew standing around in the bay cheering for the team.

  
Captain Alfstanna stepped forward and crossed her arms in a salute.

  
“We thought we’d lost you,” she said. “It’s good to see the Drakonis back home.”

  
“The rest of the team?”

  
“Made it out safe and sound. The Lothering had a few bumps and bruises, but we were more worried about getting our Captain back.”

  
“What happened to my order to return to Thedas airspace?”

  
“You think any of us wanted to have to break in another captain?” Alfstanna asked, flippantly.

  
Marian rolled her eyes.

  
“Where’s Genitivi?”

  
“Going over his research in the Obs Deck. His students are pretty shaken up at seeing the ship explode so closely to their dig site. I’ve sent one of our shuttles down to the surface to see if anything survived the falling wreckage.”

  
Marian grimaced.

  
“I hadn’t even thought about that.”

  
Alfstanna shrugged.

  
“It wasn’t your fault, really. Genitivi will view the camera feed and decide from there if he can to return to the site or if his team needs to go back to the University.”

  
“I hope he’s not too angry.”

  
“You effectively saved his students and all the research they’d been doing. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

  
Marian sighed, her guilt nearly consuming her.

  
“Fenris, Cailan, and Sebastian, hit the sleeping pods for some rest.”

  
“Aye, Captain,” the all acknowledged.

  
“Alfstanna, I need to commandeer your office for a few hours.”

  
“No such luck, Hawke,” Captain Eremon said, grabbing hold of Marian’s wrist.

  
“What?”

  
“Direct order from Director Guerrin. You have five hours booked in the sleeping pods as well.”

  
“But my reports,” she started.

  
“I quote ‘Can wait until you arrive at the Citadel’ end quote.”

  
“The Citadel? But GSC headquarters are on New Gwaren,” she asked.

  
“You’ve been summoned by the Council to attend a meeting.”

  
“The Council? What do they want with me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the views, bookmarks, and kudos. It gives me hope that I'm doing alright! Still looking for a beta if anyone is interested :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marian meets with the Council and receives a special assignment.

Chapter 4

  
Twenty hours had passed since the _Waking Sea_ had picked up the Drakonis in the debris field and Marian stood in her suite zipping up her dress uniform. After getting the required amount of sleep on Alfstanna’s vessel, she’d transferred back to the _Lothering_ and took back command from Varric.

  
Marian felt like she still needed another week in the pods to make up for the past few days; but was grateful for the near ten hours she’d had in both Alfstanna’s ship and her own for the drug induced sleep.

  
She’d cleared out her messages since returning to the _Lothering_ ; a good portion of them had been concerned backers of GSC who’d seen the story on the Thedosian News Network. There had been Eclipse mercs on Garvug who’d taken video of the explosion visible from the ground and had sold their story to the Galactic News Media, from there, word spread quickly that it had been Marian and her ship disabling the Collector Vessel.

  
Varric had been bombarded by requests from Teagan, the Council, and multiple new outlets who wanted to speak to Marian and her team. The NDA that the squad had signed kept the noose on media contacts for the moment but Teagan ordered Alfstanna to get Marian to the Council.

  
“20 minutes to our destination, Captain,” her sister reported to her intercom.

  
“Thanks, Bethany,” she replied and pulled her heels out of the drawer.

  
After stepping into her dress shoes, Marian walked over to her bathroom and used her auto-applicator to do her makeup and pulled her hair back into its regulation bun. Looking in the mirror, Marian decided that it was time to chop off the length and go with a different look. She gave her VI the task to make an appointment and headed out her door to be at the airlock by the time they docked with the Citadel.

  
“That’s the first time you’ve pulled that one out,” Varric said, as she sidled up to the airlock. “I haven’t seen your legs in months. Did you need to shave?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows lasciviously.

  
Marian ignored her friend’s comment; anything she said would just goad him into continuing.

  
“Ready for our summons?” she asked.

  
“I don’t know why you’re dragging me along. You know I hate the Council.”

  
“You’re my second,” she said. “That means you get to suffer at my side.”

  
“Gilmore thinks they’ll be giving you a medal for your heroic deeds in taking down the ship and keeping your team alive.”

  
“When did you have time to talk to Alfstanna’s second-in-command?”

  
“There was plenty of time after we boarded the Lothering. You forget that I was busy doing your job while you were sleeping with our crew.”

  
Marian sighed at his badly timed joke.

  
“Even if they do want to give me an award, you know it’ll be a year before they get around to it. All that Council Red Tape.”

  
“True enough, Hawke,” he said, thankfully storing further jokes away for later.

  
From their position in the airlock, Marian heard the Citadel magnets clamp the ship in place at the dock.

  
“Pressurization nominalized,” the VI reported.

  
“Captain Hawke is leaving the bridge. Mr. Leto has command.”

  
“Come on,” she said, stepping out onto the docking bay. An auto-cab already sat near the bay waiting for them. “I bet the meeting has already started.”

  
While their meeting took place, Alfstanna was going to meet with the human ambassador to ensure the safety of the handful of colonists they’d saved. She’d promised to get the men, women, and children, numbering only 75, into the safe hands of their ambassadors. It wasn’t as many as she’d hoped, but it was better than nothing.

  
It took about ten minutes for the taxi to drop them off at the security desk in front of the council’s chambers. At least the autocabs took them up to the chamber now, instead of dropping them off at the foot of the tower.

  
Scans revealed the concealed pistol strapped to her leg as well as the very obvious assault rifle on Varric’s back.

  
“You’ll have to lock those up,” the C-Sec officer said.

  
“No problem,” Marian replied.

  
After handing over her pistol, Marian led the way toward the chambers.

  
Walking inside, Marian was surprised to see all five members of the Council in attendance for the meeting. Councilor Dumar stood beside the turian councilor, who flanked the asari. On the other side stood the salarian councilor and the human councilor, effectively putting the most room between the humanity and the Thedosian.

  
Though there had never been outright war between the Thedosian and Human military, the peace between the evolutionary cousins was tenuous at best. Since the discovery that the asari, in a classified scientific experiment, had transplanted humans onto Thedas nearly eight millennia earlier, the animosity had only strengthened rather than weakened between the two races.

  
Thedosians were humans with natural biotics. Eezo and Asari intervention had evolved that original group of humans into other races on Thedas, including the mythic elven and dwarven races. There was still no definitive proof that the Qunari were once human, none of the qunari race had yet allowed himself to be put under the microscope.

  
“Captain Hawke, you’ve arrived,” the asari councilor stated, pulling her from her thoughts.

  
“As fast as we could answer your message, Councilor,” she said with a nod.

  
Marian stepped onto the platform at the center of the room. When Varric stepped on with her, the platform raised to half the height of the Council. Spreading her feet slightly, Marian clasped her hands behind her back to let the councilor speak. Though she didn’t have the military background of her brothers, Marian knew that such deference would surely help her case.

  
“News of your success in the Valhallan Threshold has raced across Council Space faster than any information before.”

  
Marian blushed.

  
“It has been confirmed that a synthetic race, known as Reapers, are preparing to attack the galaxy. This cycle has repeated multiple times throughout galactic history. Each cycle, these sentient AIs decimate and cull the most advanced species in order to restart the cycle of life. We intend on stopping them.”

  
“How exactly do you intend on doing that?” she asked, when the Asari stopped speaking.

  
“By joining our races into a single powerful army,” a human said, appearing on another platform as it raised from the ground.

  
“Captain Hawke, meet Spectre John Shepard,” Councilor Dumar introduced.

  
Marian raised an eyebrow in the man’s direction. Accompanied by a turian sniper, the man stood nearly as tall as his companion, a rarity among humans.  
“Good to meet you, serah,” she said across the space.

  
“Likewise,” John Shepard said, nodding in her direction.

  
“So, how does this plan of yours work?” she asked the council, while looking at the Commander.

  
“The Fleets of the Council races are being merged to encourage cooperation,” the asari said.

  
She shot her head around to look back at the council.

  
“Keeping as much of the fleet hierarchy intact as possible, salarian, turian, asari, human, and thedosian fleets are merging into a conglomerate of council activity. Hopefully, should we have the time and ability, in six months or so, we will be adding the fleets of the Terminus races into the mix, providing that they are willing to tow the line.”

  
Marian balked, that would be quite the achievement indeed, even just the Krogan and Quarians would be a formidable addition. If they truly wanted a unified army, getting the vorcha and batarians to agree would be impressive.

  
“I don’t mean to offend, but I am not Thedosian Military. Why bring me in to the fold?”

  
“Your recent activities in the Valhallan Threshold prove that you will be able to handle our task.”

  
“That would be?”

  
“Your team will be joining with Major Shepard as an elite force under our command.”

  
Marian fought not to gawk at the councilor. She swallowed the lump at the back of her throat.

  
“For the next six months, you and Major Shepard will be merging your teams and training in the Kite’s Nest system. Your designations are sure to change, but they will be equilateral in kind. We want to see how well your two teams work together. If they work well, you can expect to be on the front lines of the battles to come. We need your combined strength and abilities in order to beat this threat.”

  
“And our chain of command?”

  
“This is a partnership,” the turian councilor announced. “I’m sure that the Alliance commanding officers and your corporate executives will have individualized tasks for your respective teams, but you may as well consider the members of this chamber to be your immediate supervisors. You will answer to the Council above all others.”

  
“Excuse me,” Marian said. “But technically, the Council has no hold over me. I am not a spectre nor do I work for the Military.”

  
“You are correct,” the Salarian said. “However, until we get the necessary positions built and approved, you will be given temporary SpecTRe status and placed under our authority. Mr. Guerrin has granted your team leave from normal duties to take on the missions with which we will place you on. Unconventional as it may be, the political leaders of the Thedas races agree that your presence could only be helpful.”

  
Marian blinked, in shock. Could they really do that? How had the Council pulled together such a coup in such a short time?

  
“We expect you both to work together to find common ground. This is an experiment for you as much as it is for us, and if it works well, then perhaps we will have a chance to beat the Reapers.”

  
Marian felt blindsided. It was clear from Shepard’s expression that he’d known about this when he’d walked into the council chambers. Granted he was a spectre, but shouldn’t they have talked it over with her before the decision had been made?

  
“Do you have any questions?” the Asari councilor asked.

  
Trying her best not to show them how much their assignment had rattled her; Marian took a moment to compose herself then looked at each councilor separately. There was a reason why she’d avoided military service.

  
“Not at the moment,” she said.

  
“Then by our combined vested powers, Marian Hawke, you are granted temporary SpecTRe status effective immediately.”

  
“Go, Hawke,” Varric muttered under his breath in a quick cheer.

  
“You’ve been granted a week of shore leave in order to prepare for your assignment,” the Turian Councilor stated. “I’m guessing your ships need some extensive repairs after what you went through in the Valhallan Threshold.”

  
Marian nodded repairs and rest.

  
“We’d like to read a copy of your official report once it’s finished, though we’ve read the initial report that Ser Tethras forwarded to us.”

  
“It will be ready later this evening,” Marian said.

  
“Thank you, Captain,” the Asari said.

  
The platforms began descending and once the gears locked into place, Marian stepped off the platform, intent on returning to the ship.

  
“Call in the team. We will meet in the Lothering’s debriefing chambers at the top of the hour.”

  
“Sure thing, boss,” Varric replied, stopping to pull up his omni-tool to write the message.

  
“Before you go,” a voice called out from behind her. “I’d like to introduce myself properly.”

  
Marian spun around to see John Shepard heading toward her, his turian companion half a step behind him.

  
“Varric,” she ordered, stopping her dwarven second-in-command in his tracks.

  
“Spectre Shepard,” Varric said bowing deeply and grinning in the man’s direction. “We are honored to make your acquaintance.”

  
“Ignore his exaggerated salutation,” Marian smiled politely.

  
“I’m appalled,” Varric gasped.

  
“Marian Hawke,” she said, ignoring Varric and looking the spectre in the eye. She held out her hand, knowing the human greeting of shaking hands well enough; though she can’t say she’d ever used it before. Clasping hands in Thedas meant the mutual agreement of a contract.

  
“John Shepard,” he said, his eyes dancing as he grinned at her.

  
“I take it you knew what was going to happen in chambers today?” she asked.

  
The Major shrugged, as if it were no revelation.

  
“The Council came to me a few days ago to propose an alliance with one of the Thedosian Fleets. Then, last night when the galaxy heard of your successful attack on one of the remaining collector ships, it wasn’t a surprise when they called me in this morning.”  
Marian nodded.

  
“Is it true that you successfully navigated the Omega 4 relay,” she asked, suddenly finding herself curious.

  
“Well, that was mostly my Flight Lieutenant, Jeff Moreau,” he said, shrugging off her intended praise. “But yes, we did destroy the collector base. That much of the rumors are true.”

  
“You don’t believe there are any more bases?”

  
“I suspected that there were a few ships not home when we blew up the base, your team confirmed that; but I don’t think there is another base. The galactic core was fairly hard to maneuver through and the sheer size of the base meant it would have been tough to hide another one.”

  
Marian nodded and glanced down at Varric, who’d coughed beside her.

  
“Well, I’m sure you have things you need to take care of,” John said. “Perhaps we could plan to meet later this week to discuss plans?”

  
“That sounds great,” she said. “I’ll send you a message later this evening and we can set a date.”

  
John nodded and quickly gave her his extranet address before giving her a farewell nod and walking away.

  
“Oh Hawke,” Varric goaded beside her. “Looks like you have a date.”

  
“Shut up,” she growled out, mostly good-naturedly. “We have a squad to debrief.”

  
While the two teams rendezvoused in the ship, Marian stopped to get her hair cut at the appointed salon. Thankfully it took only twenty minutes to get in and out of there, the asari stylist had been nothing but professional. Forty-five minutes later, Marian stood in the Lothering’s debriefing room. The room was near capacity with thirty members of the management teams and the various squad members appeared ready for action.

  
“Looking good, Captain,” Sebastian said, smirking in her direction when she walked into the conference room on the crew deck.

  
Marian smiled politely but rolled her eyes, now was not the time to comment on her newly bobbed hairstyle.

  
The QEC flickered on, guided by Varric, and the images of Teagan Guerrin, the two VP’s, Fergus and Thomas. A handful of investors who had been on the Citadel when the meeting had been called sat in chairs around the table.

  
“Thank you for getting back to the ship on such a short notice,” she said, looking at the team. Even Bethany had shown up for the debriefing.

  
“Mr. Guerrin, Mr. Cousland, and Mr. Howe, thank you for finding the time to join us for this meeting.”

  
Teagan bowed his head in the direction of the camera but remained silent.

  
“I’m sure by now many, if not all of you, have been alerted to the fact that the Council summoned me to their chambers. We are all aware that the Reapers are out there and they are a threat. The latest actions, spurred by the destruction of the collector vessel, has put the politicians of the galaxy on edge. The Council is pulling rank and reorganizing the fleets under temporary Council rule.”

  
A few of her squad looked around the room in shock.

  
“The Council races have agreed to this change in order to facilitate our preparation for the upcoming war. Though Guerrin Security Consultants and her backers are non-military, the Council has invoked their rights and I have been named as a temporary member of the SpecTRe forces. There are trillions of civilians in council space, and they have tasked not only the Lothering, but all of us to protect as many as possible.”

  
“In an effort to smooth galactic relations, the Lothering’s crew has been merged with Spectre Shepard’s Normandy team. We will work together over the next few months to become a cohesive unit.”

  
Grumbles filled the room as members of the team whispered to each other.

  
Marian held up her hand.

  
“We are professionals,” she said, halting the discord. “We will work together with this team and get to know our human counterparts. This is not up for debate.”

  
“Where does this leave GSC? We are losing half of the ground squads,” Mr. DuBois asked. As a billionaire backing the work of the GSC, he stood to lose money with the loss of Marian and her crew.

  
“We are in the same place as before,” Teagan announced. “Captain Eremon will take over the contracts remaining, for the time being. It stands to reason that if the Council appreciates and responds well to Captain Hawke’s work, that we will be given a contract for Alfstanna as well. It could be very lucrative to be part of the driving force in this galactic war.”

  
Mr. DuBois shrugged, clearly not entirely believing Teagan’s words.

  
“I am being given temporary spectre status until the Council builds the proper classifications. The news that GSC is being singled out can only aid the rise of GSC into a galactic enterprise. The fact that my team has been tasked to join with human major’s team to create an elite task force will spread the idea that we are willing to work with aliens. I foresee this partnership as an opportunity to grow the GSC product and name.”

  
More rumbles, this time excitement rather than dread.

  
“My team will essentially be on the front lines, alongside the best soldiers the galaxy can supply. The Council is looking to us to set an example; that humans and thedosians can get along. If this works, there is a chance that our combined fleet will be the exemplar for the building lasting alliances in the future.”

  
“You really think this will work?”

  
“Of course I do,” she replied, her personal feelings were conflicted, but she knew she needed to convey confidence, to the stock holders and the crews, whether she felt it or not.

  
“Just yesterday we were using Shepard’s reports to beat the collector ship. We are smart, his team is smart; imagine what we could accomplish together.”

  
She looked around the room, quite a few of them were nodding, but some team members looked concerned.

  
“The GSC company as a whole has been working toward building a name, building a product of security. Of course we should be patrolling the Terminus, taking contracts to protect our own. But, we have a chance now to turn the tide of war. The Reapers think that they will win, like they always have. This is our chance to show them that a small company can rise above prejudice, uniting with our adversaries against one common goal, to save the galaxy. And I intend on doing my part.”

  
The room exploded in a round of applause. Marian grinned at the team; she had them in her grasp.

  
When the cheering settled down, she continued. The pride that simmered within the CEO came through loud and clear on the QEC. Fergus Cousland and Thomas Howe, lifelong friends, smirked at the camera. There didn’t seem to be a single member of the Guerrin Security Consultant family that thought this was a bad idea.

  
“Thank you for meeting with us. I’d like to hold back the Lothering crew to go over a few things. Mr. Guerrin is there anything you’d like to add?”

  
“No,” Teagan said, addressing Marian. “I will schedule a meeting in a few days once more information is provided by the Council. Until then, Marian please keep us apprised of your situation.”

  
“Of course, Sir,” she said with a nod.

  
Teagan cut the call and within a few seconds the QEC had been shut down.

  
“Thank you, Mr. DuBois, for attending this meeting. I believe it was important that you were apprised of the situation.”

  
The man nodded, “Indeed, Ms. Hawke.”

  
Within a few minutes, the sponsors of GSC were escorted off the ship and back to their places of business on the Citadel. When Varric returned, Marian began speaking with the 50-man crew of her ship.

  
“Lothering Team,” she said, taking a seat at the head of the now vacated conference table. “We have been given a week for repairs to be made. Take that time to get any outstanding affairs in order. There will not be time to run errands while on this mission. Get everything you need and report back on the 18th, at 0700.”

  
She looked around the room at the nodding heads.

  
“I may need to ask a few of you to report to me throughout leave for a few small duties,” she said. “Please keep your tools on. I will only ask if necessary.”

  
A few of the crew nodded, and others scowled. Marian made a mental note.

  
“Crew Dismissed,” she said, calling the meeting to an end.

  
As her crew began filtering out of the room, Marian’s tool buzzed with a new message from Teagan, stating that he needed to meet with her as soon as possible. She replied quickly saying she would be in her rooms shortly and waited until all the members of her teams had gone.

  
“Dinner tonight?” Varric asked as he walked toward her. “I know a great sushi place in Zakera Wards.”

  
Ten minutes later, Marian was sitting in her parlor waiting for the call from Teagan to arrive.

  
When the Holo-call came through on her terminal, Marian flipped the switch and greeted the CEO.

  
“Sir, can I help you?“

  
“I have a request,” the blond male announced.

  
Marian waited quietly as the leader of the company hemmed and hawed.

  
“Sir?”

  
“The Wardens have requested to add one of their members onto your ship.”

  
“The Wardens?”

  
Teagan nodded.

  
“You will need to find a space for him on your ship and treat the Warden with the utmost respect.”

  
“Of course, Mr. Guerrin. We wouldn’t dare treat a Warden with anything less.”

  
“The ship is yours to command, the team is yours to command. The Warden is only there to observe and bring his own considerable skills to your team.”

  
“May I ask who the Warden is?” she asked, Teagan’s vague descriptions not building a clear picture of the warden’s purpose.

  
“Chamberlain Loghain Mac Tir,” he said.

  
Marian swallowed, Loghain had been a war hero in his own right decades ago during the Civil War. The Orlesian factions had sought to overthrow the Thedosian Assembly of leadership and Loghain had lead the armies in pushing back the Orlesian soldiers. Any Thedosian with any sort of honor knew what a great commander the man had been.

  
“I understand, Sir,” she replied.

  
“The Wardens wanted to provide all ships with their members, but numbers are still too low. In the mean time, you will be showing Warden Loghain the ins and outs of how our operations function and I want you to grant him access to see this partnership in action. Do not disappoint me, Marian.”

  
“I will do everything in my power to ensure the success of this operation, Mr. Guerrin.”

  
The older man nodded and cut the call.

  
Marian stared at the blank terminal trying to wrap her head around the fact that one of the greatest war heroes alive would be living on her ship as a consultant.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard and Hawke's teams practice and they prepare to serve the Council.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the views and kudos!

Chapter 5

On the evening of the 15th, Marian found herself sitting in the overlook of Armax Arena’s training simulator enjoying a take-out meal from one of the many restaurants in the Silversun Strip. In the morning, she had a meeting with the Chamberlain, to get him situated on the ship; but tonight Marian had called in her ground crew for a few battle exercises with Shepard’s team. In order to facilitate teamwork, Shepard had suggested in their messages that mixing teams in the arena would be a great way to introduce each other and it seemed to be working well. 

In Arena 23, she was watching Bethany, who wanted to get a bit of field practice in, Fenris and Sebastian fight on a team with two humans, one male and one female, and the turian. Together their six man team was pitted against Varric, Merrill, and Cailan. Shepard’s part of that team consisted of a quarian, a krogan, and a human female. The teams’ abilities were fairly evenly matched even with the racial mixes. So far the show was proving to be incredibly entertaining.

She hadn’t been idle between their meeting earlier in the week and this scheduled sim training either. Marian had made sure to pour over the logs and files that the Council had passed to her about Major Shepard and the rumors that he might get a small fleet of ships soon. It seemed that the Alliance had welcomed Shepard back after he’d cut ties with the human terrorist group, Cerberus, and they’d been eager to get him back to command the retro-fitted Normandy.

A fight broke out below and Marian turned her gaze back to the tactical holo on the table beside her food. Merrill had thrown out a shockwave, causing Grunt, the krogan, to stumble back. The krogan roared and charged toward Merrill and the turian, Garrus, jumped from cover and smattered Grunt with a full round of ammo. The sim blacked out the krogan’s life support as he was kicked out of the game.

Marian cringed, a harsh lesson for the krogan, but at least it showed they were working together. Marian watched the turian give Merrill a friendly nod. Whatever tactic they’d come up with seemed to have worked according to plan. Then another warning blinked on the screen and Marian watched as Merrill and Garrus were knocked out of the game. It seemed that the Krogan’s sacrifice had been part of a greater plan, Cailan and Varric had taken out the gloating biotic and the distracted sniper.

She glanced up at John, who shot her a grin as he stuffed a fry into his mouth. Things were going well enough, despite whatever racial divisions they had. The battle went on for another five minutes, the arena consoles ticking down the timer. 

In the end, the score was almost too close to call, with Bethany’s team winning by a mere fifty points.

“Good game,” John said, nodding in her direction. “Your team works well in adversity.”

“Yours as well.”

The teams came up to the viewing area a few minutes later.

“What’s the verdict, boss?” Garrus asked.

“Good so far,” he said, vaguely. Clearly he felt no need to feed their egos any further.

“What about you and Hawke?” the female infiltrator asked, her cloaking disappearing.

“What do you mean?” Marian asked the woman.

“Shouldn’t you two spar a little, show us underling’s how it’s done?”

Marian glanced at the human spectre, who seemed to take a few steps back.

“I don’t think so, Kas,” he said. “We have other duties to attend to this evening. I doubt that,”

“I do have a program I’ve been trying to beat,” Marian interrupted, before she could stop herself. “Instead of sparring, what do you say to teaming up against the sim.”

“Having issues with the sims, Hawke?” Sebastian chuckled.

“Cailan and Daveth have been working on a supposedly unbeatable level,” she said, turning to face her medic.

“What do you say, Shepard?” she smirked. “Up for a little fun?”

Out of the corner of her eye, Marian saw Kasumi smirk at the unintended innuendo and nearly blushed. She certainly hadn’t meant to say something along those lines. At the back of the room Varric shook his head as if ashamed. 

“Sure,” he said, looking her over. “Just let me get suited up.”

Half an hour later, Marian was dripping sweat in her armor. She hated wearing helmets, but the sim’s gravity had been reduced and the vacuum of space had been inserted into the chamber. Technician Daveth had built the simulation to represent an un-atmo’d, low-gravity planet, knowing how much she hated those missions. The enemies were a mixture of geth and husks, like they hadn’t seen plenty of them in the Terminus over the past few years months. 

She heard the whir of a geth armature and glanced over at John, who hid on the other side of the small path. He cursed and for a moment, she wished she’d told him about the armature. She’d said it was a tough fight. A quick glance at her HUD and Marian wanted to grin. Twenty-five minutes left in the hour long program and they’d nearly beaten it.

Her counter indicated that they’d killed seventy-five geth and forty-five husks, a good day in anyone’s books.

She grimaced at the thought, when did her good days start including massacring AI’s and zombies?

Marian unclipped a grenade and rolled to cover next to John, casually tossing a grenade in the air and catching it.

“You want this one?” she asked through the comm.

“Go right ahead,” he insisted. 

Marian grinned.

She leapt out of cover, removed the pin from the grenade, then lobbed it straight at the armature. Marian could see John peek over the rock enough to watch it hit its mark, Bartrand’s experimental adhesive coating busted on contact causing it to stick to the metallic exo-skeleton. The geth whirred in anger, something they most definitely could do, and the holo exploded in a display of metal and geth coolant.

The next few minutes were filled with wave after wave of geth and husks, with the occasional rocket launcher sniping at them.

She lost track of the numbers when her HUD disappeared for battle, but as she leaned against the wall of a fake building a klaxon sounded.

She whipped her head around to see the score board drop down into the arena. The sim was over and she breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Thanks for your help, Major,” Marian said through the comm. 

It seemed to startle her companion as he turned to face her. Marian took off her helmet and glanced up at the glass where their teams sat. Running her hand through her shortened hair, Marian took a deep breath and grinned at the audience. She took a low sweeping bow in the direction of the squads and John burst out in laughter. 

“Did all that fighting wear you out?” she asked, sidling up to him a moment or two later. 

“That was a hard sim,” he replied, pulling off his helmet. “Your techies are very thorough.”

“I wanted to see your skills, why waste a regular sim on that?” She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked at him.

“Hey Shep!” Kasumi called out as the team came out into the arena. “You guys got a new high score!”

The next morning, Marian found herself dressed in her best attire standing at the base of the platform that lead up to the Lothering. Chamberlain Loghain was due to arrive any minute and she’d taken the time to look as professional as possible when she met with the war hero.

Within a few minutes two men dressed in silver and blue armor walked toward the ship and Marian began to panic, wondering if she’d missed a cue from Teagan that the Chamberlain was bringing an assistant onto the ship. 

It wasn’t until they closed the distance and she could see through the HUD on the second warden’s helm that she recognized Nathaniel Howe. Relief flooded through her veins, Nathaniel was no assistant, and there was no way Teagan would have forgotten to mention that the Senior Warden was also coming along. 

In his hand, Nathaniel carried a locker, that was likely his supervisor’s and Marian swallowed. She hadn’t seen Nathaniel since their liaison had fallen apart nearly five years prior. Her mother always ensured that she sent updates on the eldest Howe’s advancement through the Warden ranks, insisting that the man was still single and still harbored feelings for the eldest of the Hawke girls. 

Flexing her hand, Marian waited for the two men to finish their journey down to the dock.

“Chamberlain Mac Tir,” she said, stepping forward and greeting the war hero. “It is an honor to have you aboard the Lothering.”

“Ms. Hawke,” he nodded, looking directly at her and grasping her wrist in a familiar military greeting, not unlike the human handshake. “I am glad that Mr. Guerrin was willing to allow me to monitor your progress.”

Marian smiled and nodded, eventually letting go of the Warden’s wrist. 

“It’s an honor, sir,” she said, then turned toward Nathaniel. “Warden Howe, it is a pleasure to see you again,” 

Marian ignored the flip in her stomach at the sight of his familiar smirk.

“Marian, a pleasure,” he said, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.

She allowed it, not wanting to make a scene in front of the war hero, but Marian wondered what her former lover was up to.

“I take it that this is your locker, Ser Loghain?”

When the older man gave her a nod, Marian instructed Nathaniel to bring the locker inside and that Varric would help him get it placed in the Chamberlain’s room.

Once alone with Loghain, Marian gave him a smile and waved him up the ramp and into the ship.

“The repairs will be completed by this afternoon,” she said, noticing Loghain’s glance toward the engineers and mechs working on the shields. “We will be leaving the dock at 0800, though the crew has been asked to arrive at 0700. I would not expect you to be in attendance at the crew meeting, though you are welcome to join us if you wish.”

The airlock closed behind them as the decon ran its course.

“Captain Hawke on deck,” the VI announced. “XO Thethras is relieved of command.”

The Chamberlain raised an eyebrow toward her at the very militaristic announcement, but said nothing. Marian spent the next hour touring the ship with the Warden, she showed him the bridge, the navigation deck, the crew quarters, the engineering deck and the shuttle bay.

“Do you have plans this afternoon, Ms. Hawke?” Loghain asked, as they walked together back toward the airlock.

Marian’s mouth went dry as she turned toward Warden Mac Tir. 

“I have a few items on my ‘to do’ list, but nothing that can’t wait. Is there something I can help you with, Warden Loghain?”

“I was hoping we could have lunch. I’d like to get to know your professional style a little bit better before we leave in the morning.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Marian saw Varric appear near the galaxy map terminal. The noisy dwarf was attempting to remain inconspicuous.

“I have no plans for lunch,” she said, smiling at the older man. “I’d be happy to tell you a little about myself and the plans before us.”

“Good,” the warden said, giving her the slightest upturning of his mouth.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I'm just the worst. I was holding off on posting cause I thought I wanted to write a chapter in between what I thought was Chapter 5 and Chapter 6. Instead I didn't open the file for weeks (because I couldn't come up with anything I wanted to add) until today realizing I'd already written the damn thing. So... here you go! Enjoy!!!
> 
> Also - still no Beta, any spelling mistakes or grammar issues are my own. Sadly.

Chapter 6

Two weeks had passed since Shepard and Marian began their collaboration, and so far the partnership seemed to be going well. There had been training exercises on Inta’sei at the arena and a few missions clearing out slaver camps in the terminus.

Last night Shepard and Marian had traded crew members and the plan was to share living quarters and get to know the teams more personally before they headed out on a few missions for the Systems Alliance. 

With only Varric remaining from her normal ground team, Marian had given the crew, both the maintenance team and Shepard’s squad some time to hang out in the messhall and the observation room on the navigation deck. Wanting to allow them some freedoms outside of having the boss in the room, Marian was answering mail and responding to report requests from Teagan when an alert chimed at her door.

“Warden Mac Tir seeks entry to your quarters, Hawke,” Keeper II announced.

Marian bid the man entry and turned away from her terminal to greet the warden. He stood near the doorway with his hands clasped behind his back as Marian watched his eyes sweep across her quarters.

“Good evening, sir, is there anything I can help you with?”

“No, Hawke,” he said, “I figured you’d be busy, so I wanted to offer my services with paperwork if you needed it.” Loghain waved his hand in the direction of the stack of datapads and smirked at her.

“Yes,” she said, glancing back at the glowing electronics. “I’m sure there are more entertaining things to do than watch me fill out spreadsheets and report back to corporate.”

“Naturally, but you could use a break, I’m sure. Share a glass with me?” he asked, bringing forward a bottle from behind his back.

Marian glanced at the bottle then up at the warden with a curious frown. How had he known that Serrice Ice Brandy was one of her favorites? She couldn’t remember mentioning it since the man was aboard; but the weeks had been hectic.

Though she tried to remain aloof, not wanting the man to realize how much of an extravagance this was, Marian could feel her cheeks warm with a blush.

“A drink would be lovely,” she said, standing and going toward her small cabinet, where a few extra plates and glasses were kept, along with a stash of ration bars and a secret bag of preserved Dawn Lotus seeds, from the hydroponic gardens on Orlais Station.

She placed two glasses on the end table between two overstuffed chairs in the corner near her front door. Normally she used this area to council crew members or relax alone, not even Mr. Guerrin had joined her for a private consultation.

Warden Loghain smiled and took the seat closest to the door allowing for Marian to have a direct view of anyone who entered.

When he’d poured, Marian took her glass and toasted the success of the mission. It was nice to have a few minutes where she didn’t need to worry about the crew. From her vantage point, the piney scent of spindleweed cologne enveloped her senses. 

They traded small talk for a few minutes, Loghain wondering about the merging of the two teams and how well it was going. She’d just started explaining some of the finer points of the mission when the alarm buzzed on her omnitool.

A message from Varric.

She waved it off and continued speaking when a second message came through.

“Excuse me, Chamberlain,” she apologized and read the short note.

Obs Deck – Now!

“I need to take care of something,” she said. “Please feel free to stay. I don’t think I’ll be long.”

Chamberlain Loghain gave her a concerned look and Marian quickly pulled a hoodie on over the t-shirt she’d been wearing and raced out of her quarters to find out what was wrong.

It took less than a minute to get to the stairs on the port side to find the doors of the observation deck open. A shout cut through the air and something crashed into glass as she raced down the hall.

“What in the Maker’s name is going on here?” she demanded, finding Jacob Taylor and Fenris wrestling on the floor. Varric was over near the bar nursing what could turn into a black eye and Merrill had tucked herself into a seat in the corner. A handful of mixed crew members were lined up against the wall, looking like they’d been tossed around a bit as well.

Fenris swung his fist into Taylor’s gut before pulling himself off the floor. A scowl to rival Loghain’s crossed her Vanguard’s features.

“I asked a question,” she demanded, looking at both men. 

“Ask him,” Fenris spat, jerking his head in the direction of the biotic attempting to pick himself up off the floor.

Jacob rubbed his jaw, checking for injuries, but ignoring both herself and Fenris.

Footsteps behind her alerted Marian of an spectator, but the familiar scent of Loghain’s aftershave wafted over and she didn’t even bother to turn around.

“Well?” she asked, her tone dripping with anger. 

“The boys just got a little drunk,” Varric said from his stool. “I tried to get them to cool off, but…” 

“Would anyone care to explain why this escalated into an all out brawl?”

“He called Merrill a _knife-eared bitch_ ,” Fenris grunted, glaring at the dark-skinned male. 

“You did what?” Marian asked, her tone even and emotionless.

“It’s what she is,” Jacob said, sending daggers toward the biotic.

Marian took a deep breath and turned toward Varric.

“That what happened?”

Varric nodded, darting his eyes at Merrill.

“Daisy didn’t want to drink while we playing skyllian five. I don’t think he meant it the way Fenris took it. But he did say the words.”

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Marian sighed. 

“The party is over” she ordered. “Sebastian, please escort Merrill to the women’s cabin. Varric, please head to the med bay to get checked out. Fenris, Jacob, I’ll see you both in my quarters in five.” 

Marian spun on her heel and breezed past the Warden as she headed back up to her room trying to figure out exactly how to deal with the situation. She knew Jacob was Cerberus, knew that he hated aliens, but the use of such language was unacceptable. 

A light knock on her door signaled Loghain’s arrival.

“A minute of your time, Hawke,” he said, standing in the doorway.

Marian raised her eyebrow at him and waved him into the room. 

“I have an idea that might help,” he continued, walking over to the table and clearing away the glasses and the brandy.

“I’ll consider any advice right now, Chamberlain,” she said. The situation they were in was a delicate one, and she wasn’t sure that she had the patience to deal with this insubordination.

“When one becomes a Grey Warden, they are stripped of their past. Who they were before they Join no longer matters. Politicians, students, criminals, we are all the same once we join the society.”

Marian frowned, even criminals?

“That’s not to say that men and women don’t have pasts, that they aren’t subjected to minimal harassment, but just because someone was a saint or a thief in their past, doesn’t mean that they are not willing to change for a chance to help better the galaxy.”

“What are you saying, Loghain? You want to recruit my two misbehaving crew members?”

Loghain burst out in a hearty laugh for a brief moment, then schooled his features.

“No, nothing of the sort. But I think you should symbolically clean the slate. Start everyone on the same page. They are no longer Human, Elf, Dwarf, Qunari, whatever. That past is stripped away with the sharing of whatever ritual you wish, and then they become members of this Hawke-Shepard team. Do not give them the chance to recreate tonight’s behavior. Let the stupidity of a drunken night get punished, let them sleep it off in the brig, or shuttle bay, but then, in the light of day give the team a symbolic start. You are no longer members of the _Lothering_ or the _Normandy_ , you are a new SpecTre Spec Ops team, and the crew needs to act like it.”

Loghain paused, seeming to have finished his monologue, and silence filled the room. Marian considered his words and the meaning behind such an act. It sounded like a good idea, but Marian wondered if it would work. 

“Well,” he said, looking for all like a nervous mabari pup, rubbing the back of his neck in sudden and surprising embarrassment.

“Thank you, Loghain,” she said, knowing that Fenris and Jacob would be at her door shortly. “I will consider your advice.”

Loghain gave her a nod, wished her a good night, then disappeared out of her quarters.

The next morning found the Lothering and Normandy crews on the fields of the Eden Prime colony. Shepard had agreed to the ritual cleansing, especially after Marian had mentioned the addition of the Cerberus crew to his ship. It seemed that the man knew well the prejudices of the Cerberus squad and though they’d worked together to destroy the collector base, he agreed that reinstating the team as a combined force would be a good idea.

They spent the morning in a large meeting, sprawled out on the sunsoaked field at the edge of a forest. An exceptionally idyllic spot that seemed to calm even the most highly wound members of the team. After Marian and John worked through their expectations and the mission parameters once more, with everyone, from the helmsman to the facilities teams, the _Waking Seas_ landed and provided the crews with a feast.

Once bread had been broken, a meal shared between what used to be enemies, Marian and John led the squad through the thicket and had them cleansed in a waterfall. The afternoon was spent drying off in the sun and before Alfstanna’s team left as the sun set, Marian felt better about their chances.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fleet visits Omega

Six weeks later, Marian walked into the Afterlife VIP section on the Omega Mining Station. It seemed that John Shepard had a working relationship with the Pirate Queen T’Loak and during their quick stopover for supplies, he’d arranged for the officers to have a night out on the station.

A month ago, the council had combined Spectre Alenko’s team with Alfstanna’s squad after the reports from both Loghain and Admiral Hackett. It seemed that the original collaboration had spurred on a second elite squad, though Marian had no idea what other teams the council was putting together.

“So, what did you do to get such personal service?” Varric asked the Major as they walked into Afterlife.

“I’ve done Aria a few favors since I returned from the dead,” John replied. “Nothing big.”

“But enough to get her attention.”

“She knows a war is coming. It’s always a good idea to have an ‘in’ with the big guns.”

“And you’re the big guns?” Marian asked, the bottle of Alcohol-countering pills jostling in her pocket.

Lt. Commander James Vega waggled his eyebrows at her and grinned.

“That’s my job, Lola,” he joked, flexing his muscled arms.

She smiled at the young man, as he displayed his muscled arms in her direction. She’d spend a total of two weeks on the Normandy under Shepard’s command; during the symbolic initiation, the smart-ass XO had given her nickname and hadn’t stopped coming up with names for other members of the team.

Apparently it was his ‘thing’.

That thought caused Marian to glance at Varric, maybe the two men had something in more in common than just their position on the ship.

The group of twelve were soon escorted to a private table in a corner just far enough away from the dancing asari that they were able to hear each other speak.

“So what’s next on the agenda?” Lt Commander Williams asked.

Shepard waved his hand toward the bar, and turned to look around the table.

“The plan is to head wherever we are told to go,” he said, looking over his shoulder. “Why don’t we skip the work talk for tonight, Ash?”

“Sure,” Ashley replied, looking a bit dejected.

“Until then, let’s enjoy tonight as best as we can.”

When the waitress arrived, the table ordered a round of drinks and a smattering of food.

A couple hours later, a good half of the table was well on their way to being drunk. Marian had a glass of wine with dinner, but had otherwise refrained from partaking. The other commanding officers seemed to be of a likewise mind and though they’d had a couple drinks, they were sober enough.

Her omni-tool buzzed, surprising her and Marian glanced over to see John checking his as well.

Opening the screen, Marian read the alert.

A SOS had been sent from the _Lothering’s_ cloaked position 100 kilometers out.

_Cerberus Fleet entered Omega space SGT 2300. 40 separate signatures. All ships armed. Orders?_

Marian glanced up at John, whose eyes were wide with panic. A shudder rippled through the station and alarms began going off in the VIP section.

“Aria,” he said, jumping out of his chair.

“Go make sure she’s safe,” Marian said. “I’ll mobilize our men.” Though she had no idea as to how far his relationship went with the Asari matriarch, it was clear that the man admired the woman in some way and Marian wasn’t about to stop John from ensuring that the pirate queen was safe.  
  
John ordered Garrus to go along with him as Marian typed a quick message to Bethany, a few short words to signal the attack. The two men disappeared into the madness of Afterlife as they rushed to find the leader of the station.

Marian reached into her pocket for the bottle of pills known to counteract the effects of alcohol. In her other pocket, Marian stored two extra clips for the pistol tucked into her waistband. Omega was a dangerous place and not one where you wanted to be drunk and stranded.

She handed pills out to each of the remaining squad members.

“We just received word that Cerberus is attacking the station. I don’t even want to think about the resources they will have access to if they win this station. We will protect this bar and the citizens of Omega until we hear back from Shepard.”

“No one wants Cerberus here,” Alenko said, popping his pill. “But why help Aria?”

“Because the mercenaries respect her as much as they could respect anyone, and when this battle is over, Aria will owe us,” Fenris stated.

“Just so,” Marian replied, acknowledging his hypothesis. Within a few moments, Marian received another message, this time from Shepard.

“Aria is holding the main floor for now,” she reported to the others. “Alfstanna, I suggest you stay here, keep the VIP area secure. Fenris, Gilmore, Daveth, stay with Alfstanna. Alenko and Williams, Shepard asked for you both to head to the main floor of the reactor to help him. Coats, Vega, Varric, come with me. We’re headed for the streets. Aria wants us to secure a perimeter around the bar.”

“And our ships?” Varric asked.

“Hopefully they stop a majority of Cerberus before they board the station.”

With the orders now given, Marian waved for the rest of the team to follow her as she raced toward the doorway. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Marian wondered about the team, and how they’d deferred to her for leadership. She certainly wasn’t a member of the Systems Alliance, but perhaps because her words had basically been Shepard’s it had helped.

A whistle sounded and Marian spun around to look at the bartender behind the bar.

“A gift from Aria,” the batarian shouted, tossing something in the air. Vega caught it and handed the small keyfob over to her.

“Near the door,” the batarian called out, indicating the hall toward the VIP entrance.

Hawke nodded and continued down the path. There, right by the side entrance was a panel. Waving the keyfob in front of it, the panel slid open to reveal a weapons cache.

Marian grinned and began handing out heat sinks and clips.

“Thank the Maker,” Varric grinned, tucking a few clips into his belt.

Marian handed a bunch of grenades to Vega and then handed Alenko one of the assault rifles, taking one for herself. She then sealed the cache and tucked the fob into her buttoned pants pocket.

Shouting on the other side of the door caught her attention as the team outfitted themselves. Varric, knowing already what she’d ask, had made his way to the door to take in the scene. He signaled back that at least five Cerberus troopers were headed for the doorway. The men had been fast in infiltrating the station if they had reached this point only a few minutes into the attack.

She nodded to her XO, and Varric kicked open the door dramatically as Vega popped out from cover and lobbed a grenade into the center of the group.

One of the Cerberus members spotted the object and had called out for the group to scatter, but the grenade went off before the team could react.

Marian made a mental note. Three down.

Her team left the doorway, fanning out to scan the area. A shot hit Marian’s tool-powered shield. The blue aura was nowhere near as good as her armor’s shields, but at least it had caused the bullet to ricochet into the side of the building rather than her shoulder.

“Get to cover,” she said, ducking behind a crate that would likely be shattered in a few seconds.

Varric rolled toward a partial wall and Vega raced ahead to hide behind the corner leading into a hall. At her side, Major Coats ducked back into Afterlife, using the doorframe as a shield.

Popping a couple rounds into the almost dead Cerberus agent, Marian shouted out orders.

“Secure the hall,” she said. “We move forward in five.”

Vega rushed ahead, and threw another grenade as a team rounded the corner. Marian spun around and bashed a white and yellow uniformed man in the neck, causing him to stumble back. A few shots from her pistol and he was down. Coats shouted, seeing a few Cerberus team members coming from the other hall. Varric joined Coats as they took care of the squad.

“Mechs,” Vega shouted, and Marian turned to see a squad of five mechs marching toward them.

The overload from Vega’s tool caused the team to stutter long enough for Varric and Marian to take them down.

“So far, so good,” Coats grinned, the bloodlust clearly taking him.

Another few minutes passed and they took care of another group of Cerberus soldiers.

A Batarian rounded the corner, his arms in the air, showing he was not armed. At least, he wasn’t currently aiming to harm them.

“I’m Bray,” he called out. “Aria’s Lieutenant.”

Marian ordered the squad to put their weapons down.

“She sent me to take you to a secure location. Comms are being scrambled from outside the station.”

“But the Afterlife?” Marian asked.

“Is only a cover.”

Marian glanced over at Coats, who shrugged.

“How do we know you’re really working for Aria?” Vega asked.

“He isn’t shooting us,” Marian offered.

“The bands of mercs on Omega are currently fighting each other trying to get the upper hand, instead of fighting the real enemy,” Bray growled out. “We need to get to the secure location while your fleet takes care of the ships. Cerberus knows the station’s layout. There isn’t much time.”  
Marian nodded, then looked at her squad.

“Alright, lead the way, Bray,” she said. “But keep in mind that we’ve got at least three weapons trained on you if you disappoint us.”

“Don’t worry, Hawke. I am here only at Aria’s behest.”

The sneer on his lips proved his sincerity and Marian followed the Batarian down the hall and into a maintenance shaft. They crawled through the bowels of the station for nearly thirty minutes. The station rocking occasionally as explosives hit the rocky surface.

When they finally reached the secure location, Marian was surprised to see Bray holding out his hand to help her off the ladder.

“Welcome to the Main Reactor,” he said, waving his hand around the room.

Marian gawked at the large power unit in the center of the circular room. If there hadn’t been a shield surrounding the unit, Marian was certain that they would be boiling from the heat that certainly emanated from the beast.

“Maker’s Breath,” she whispered at the sight.

She glanced over when Varric called her name. Standing in an office window overlooking the reactor core was both Aria and Shepard.

Thanking the Maker for small miracles, Marian had her team follow her up to the office.

“Welcome to the core,” Aria said, holding her arms out in greeting.

Marian had only met the asari once before, having been summoned to the matriarch’s offices in the Afterlife, a few years back. She’d been terrifying then, sitting on her couch in her private rooms; but now, with the low growl in the asari’s voice, Marian was about ready to piss herself.

“We appreciate the escort,” Marian said, glancing over at Bray.

“I’m sure you do,” Aria sneered. “Shepard says that you are part of his team?”

Marian glanced at her partner, not sure what he’d already told her.

“We were paired by the Council, Aria. Marian and I are equals in our partnership.”

Aria raised an eyebrow.

“Shepard tells me that your ships have Council Permission to fight Cerberus.”

Marian nodded. That had been the order the last time she’d heard from them, she only hoped that the message had been received by the fleet before the arrays had been taken out or hijacked by Cerberus.

“Lock down the core,” Aria ordered.

Bray nodded and immediately began entering codes into a nearby terminal.

“This room must be held at all costs, Shepard,” Aria said. “My men are scattered dealing with the attack.”

“We’ve got this, Aria,” John agreed.

John handed out assignments, for which Marian was glad. His time with Aria had clearly given him an advantage of where the threats would be coming from. He paired everyone off and set them to guard various entrances into the room. The moment anyone made contact, the entire team would be alerted.

“If one of the entrances is compromised, one person from each flanking team will join them until the threat is removed. The other team member stays put.”

Marian walked over to her assigned doorway and flanked the open door, wishing that there were alarmed doors on this deck.

An alarm sounded in Aria’s office and Marian glanced up to see the woman furiously working on a terminal.

“People of Omega,” a male voice commanded over the PA system. “This is General Petrovsky of the Cerberus Fleet. We have taken your precious Afterlife. You are playing a losing game. The pirate, Aria T’Loak is hiding somewhere on this station. Find her and bring her to me and you will be rewarded.”

Marian cursed, angry that her fleet hadn’t stopped them and angry that this Cerberus bastard was playing this game. If the mercs decided to fight for Cerberus, they were dead.

“What’s the plan?” Alenko shouted at Shepard.

“Derius owes me a favor,” Aria said. “He’s about to pay up.”

Marian glanced at the Matriarch, shrugging her shoulders.

“We’re about to get help in the form of a mercenary group, be on the lookout.”

“Who are we looking for?”

“The Talons, a turian-based merc group. They should number in the low five-hundreds or so.”

“How’d you contact them?” Marian asked.

“I hacked Petrovsky’s signal,” Aria said, raising an eyebrow in her direction.

Marian nodded then turned back for the door. She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat, reminding herself not to question the Pirate Queen again.

Fighting broke out behind her and Marian turned to see Vega and Coats taking on a troop of Cerberus soldiers. Williams and Garrus quickly raced over to aid them.

Marian glanced back down the hall she was guarding and relaxed slightly as a group of four turians, dressed in red and black armor walked toward them.

“Talon’s sighted,” Marian shouted over her shoulder.

Aria walked out of the office and down a set of stairs as if she were walking to the bar rather than possibly facing a coup.

“Derius,” she said, nodding in the direction of a turian with white face markings.

The plan was quickly established, with Marian and her crew sticking in the reactor core. It seemed that Aria trusted them more than the Talons. The members of the team who’d shown up, nearly a hundred or so, were sent to secure an outer perimeter until Petrovsky finally showed his face.

When Derius ordered his teams out into the tunnels, Aria pulled Shepard and Marian to the side.

“I have a mission for the two of you,” she said, in hushed tones. Her arm wrapped around Marian’s shoulders, pulling her in close.

Marian nodded, stifling the urge to look around the room conspiratorially.

“We are going to Afterlife and taking care of Petrovsky before he uses my couch,” she growled, her fingers digging into Marian’s shoulders.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” John asked.

“I’m not giving this base up and now that we have the people we need watching the reactor, I have other plans.”

Marian nodded.

“Let us consult with our team and then we’ll be on our way.”

“You have two minutes, Hawke,” she said, letting go of Marian’s shoulder.

Marian gathered the team in a huddle within thirty seconds, typing notes into her omni-tool.

“You are staying here and guarding the reactor. Aria wants Shepard and me to take back Afterlife.”

Alenko and Varric nodded.

“No one gets into this room, do you understand.”

“Yes, ma’am,” they responded, militarily.

“You sure you don’t need any of us to go with?” Varric asked.

“I’m sure,” she said.

Before she left the huddle, Marian keyed a timer into her tool, then tapped it against Varric’s own, transferring the timer to his systems. An hour long countdown stared on both of their tools.

His head moved fractionally in a nod and Marian tipped her head in the team’s direction.

“I know you won’t let us down.”

Half an hour later, Marian found herself standing below an exit hatch from the service crawlspace.

“We have one shot at this,” Aria said. “Do not disappoint me, Shepard.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Aria,” he replied, giving the matriarch a smirk.

After a quick overview of the plan, Marian stepped back to allow Aria out of the panel first. The metal door slid across the wall at a spot underneath a terminal. Before Petrovsky could react, Marian watched over Shepard’s shoulder as Aria biotically gripped the man in a silent bubble. When John was out, Marian heard the doors to the suite slam shut. John worked on the terminal above her, as Marian climbed out, in order to override all attempts to hack through the door locks.

Once Marian cleared the panel, she pulled herself to her feet and aimed the gun in Petrovsky’s direction.

“How much time?” Aria called out to Shepard, who was frantically working on the terminal.

“Two minutes,” he called out.

Marian shuddered. She wasn’t happy with the plan, and had seen that John wasn’t happy with it either, but without Omega at their disposal, John was certain that their supplies of Eezo would be irreparably diminished had they allowed Cerberus to continue.

“Please,” the older male said. “Don’t kill me.”

Marian snapped her attention back to look at Aria, the blue fingers wrapping tightly around Petrovsky’s neck.

“You’ve been beaten, you slimy Cerberus shithead.”

The man gurgled and attempted to remove Aria’s hand from around his neck.

“Shepard, please,” he managed to squeak out. “Call off your Matriarch.”

“She’s hardly mine,” John laughed.

Marian raised an eyebrow at her teammate, but kept her gun raised at Petrovsky.

“Hawke,” the man said, turning to look into her eyes.

Marian faltered, wondering how he’d known her name.

“I can help you. Just tell Aria to back off.”

“Why would we do that?”

“I know where The Illusive Man is,” he managed to say.

Aria’s fingers had gone nearly white as she squeezed his neck.

“Wait,” Shepard said.

“Really?” Aria bit back, not even glancing over her shoulder.

“If we can stop The Illusive Man before the Reapers arrive, this could be an incredible opportunity.”

“This bastard is trying to take my station and give it to your Illusive Man,” Aria growled. “He dies.”

“I’ll call off the fleet,” Petrovsky offered. “You can arrest the remaining squads. Just please, don’t kill me.”

“Aria,” John snapped, “put him down.”

“I don’t think so, John,” Aria replied, her eyes never leaving Petrovsky.

“This is not how the Council works. Put him down and we’ll arrest him.”

“You’re on Omega, Shepard,” she replied. “The only rules that apply here are mine.”

“Marian,” Shepard asked, turning to look at her. “Will you watch our prisoner for a moment? Aria and I need to have a chat.”

Marian nodded and closed the distance between Petrovsky and herself. With the assault rifle pointed at his head, Marian settled into an attack stance and waited until Aria dropped the man onto his knees.

Aria put the man in a stasis bubble and grumbled under her breath as she walked a few paces toward Shepard.

“Don’t even think of moving,” Marian growled out at the man floating a few feet from the floor and ignoring the lovers’ spat going on in the other corner. “I will put a bullet in your head.”

It took less than a minute for the two conspirators to step within listening distance again. The entire time, Aria’s bubble held Petrovsky in place.

“Call off your hounds, Petrovsky,” Aria said, tossing him a communicator.

Marian stood shocked as Aria powered up her terminal. Oleg typed furiously onto the digital screen of the communicator. Shepard came in from the side and quickly snapped a pair of glowing handcuffs onto Petrovsky’s wrists, clearly enhanced with small mass effect distortion fields. From the inside of the room, she could see various screens around the bar lighting up with Aria’s face.

“People of Omega. We have won back our station,” she said, holding out her arms. “The Cerberus guttersnipes have surrendered to my command. Take their weapons and deliver the trash to Afterlife. My men will take control over the prisoners at that time. We will get revenge on the men who have tried to take Omega from us; they will not be shown mercy. Don’t forget that I. Am. Omega!”

The transmission cut off and Marian’s omni-tool buzzed incessantly.

Messages from the fleet and messages from Varric populated the screen, the new messages moving her unread line further past her screen.

Connecting to the comm. on her tool, Marian quickly spoke to Varric.

“We’re fine,” she said, speaking into the microphone. “Secure the area, sweep as you move, and come on back. Bring any Cerberus men you find. We can debrief later.”

“Aye, Hawke,” he said, breaking regulations. “It sure is good to hear your voice.”

“Yours too, Varric,” she replied. “See you soon.”


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
Four hours later, Marian walked onto the Lothering from the Normandy’s airlock. She’d spoken candidly with John about what their reports were going to say. She wasn’t sure he was allowed to promise Petrovsky to Aria, but she couldn’t argue with the deal he’d made with the pirate queen. 

Petrovsky had been moved to the brig on the Normandy and was being watched by some of Shepard’s most trusted men. In return for her cooperation, Shepard had promised Aria that she could have the prisoner as soon as Petrovsky handed over the information he had on Cerberus and Shepard’s combined fleet with Marian’s had disabled Cerberus’ central station.

If she made a separate report, Marian was to lie to the Council and say that Aria had killed the man, which was eventually going to be true anyway. That part bothered her the most; but to ensure the terrorist group would be taken out, Marian had decided to just conveniently forget about the report. Once they had all their information, they could take out the ship and then deal with the Council. Shepard insisted that they hit up the station where the Illusive Man was located, but until Petrovsky had given them every last bit of information, they would continue on with their priority missions.

Marian rubbed her aching shoulder, not remembering taking a hit, or even being knocked into a wall; but whatever she’d done during the fighting had knocked something loose.

“Ground team, please report to the debriefing chambers in ten minutes,” she said, hitting her comm. The sooner she got this over with, the sooner she could head to the medbay to have the VI take a look at her shoulder.

In addition to her squad, Marian sent a message to Alfstanna, requesting that her team join in on the QEC. Shepard said he’d handle the meeting with the Systems Alliance squads and Marian was fine with that. All she wanted to do was to find out how her ships and friends fared.

A yawn caught her off-guard and Marian cursed. It would be hours before she allowed herself to get some sleep. She walked over to a nearby med station and keyed in her override, when the cabinet unlocked, Marian grabbed a few of the stims and locked the cabinet again.

Walking into the women’s room, she walked into a stall and pulled down her pants, injected the energy concoction into her thigh. She hated using the stims for non-emergency situations, but today was going to be a long one.

It didn’t take long for the team to enter the room after she returned and Marian powered up the QEC. With twenty seconds before her call went out, Marian stepped onto the holo-deck and keyed in her password to transmit her message to The Waking Sea.

“First off,” she said, seeing the handful of their ships logging in on the terminal. “I would like to thank everyone for their efforts over the past ten hours. You’ve done GSC proud. It was a long night and an unexpected battle, but the entire crew has shown just how well we’ve learned to work together with the human ships. I’ve already done some preliminary reviews of the reports that have been turned in and I must say that you’ve done as well, if not better than, expected. This is a good sign, especially in the face of the battles ahead. 

“After ensuring that our ships are repaired and it is safe to make the necessary relay jumps, we will be heading to the Viper Nebula. The Lothering will make our jump at 1600 SGT. I will be sending a revised shift list shortly. Those who are in their sleep cycle will be ordered awake within the next hour or two to allow night crew some rest.

“This will not be the only debrief before we make the jumps to Viper. Please message me with any questions and concerns and I will address them in four hours when I check in with you all again. I thank you all for attending. And please, get some rest while you can. Hawke out.”

She pressed the button shutting down the QEC and looked around the room at her gawking team.

“You sure do cut right to the chase, huh boss?” Varric smirked.

“It was a lot of information, and I know we are all exhausted. Better to let the teams move forward than to keep them in endless meetings.

“That reminds me,” she said looking around the room, “dismissed.”

The team wandered out of the debriefing room, looking as tired as she felt. But there was no time to waste with the clean up and preparations that needed to be made.

It took a few minutes for her to return to her room. 

Wanting to check in personally with Chamberlain Loghain, Marian had the VI send the Warden a message to visit her when he had a minute. The Warden had been the highest ranking officer aboard the ship during the fight and Marian was eager to see how her team had done under the command of the Grey Wardens. 

After sending the message, Marian climbed into the shower and spent a luxurious ten minutes scrubbing the Omegan grime and grit off her body. The hot water and scented 3-in-1 soaps left her skin stinging pleasantly as she cleaned. After her shower, Marian wrapped herself in a towel and ran a drying comb through her hair a few times to keep herself from dripping all over the floor. 

“Captain?”

Marian froze as she walked into her office space; Chamberlain Loghain was sitting in the seat by the door.

“Chamberlain Mac Tir,” she squeaked, “I’m sorry, I was not expecting you to come over right way. I imagined you would be busy with reports.”

Loghain shrugged. 

“If you’ll give me a few moments to get changed,” she blushed.

“Naturally,” the older man nodded, waving his hand dismissively.

Marian moved quickly to her sleeping area and picked out an outfit before taking the clothes to the bathroom and getting changed. Before leaving the bathroom, in her slacks and a comfortable long-sleeved shirt, Marian made sure to run the drying comb through her hair a few more times and put on a bit of lip gloss. Walking out there in full makeup was ridiculous, but a little gloss made her feel a bit better about the fact that she’d been surprised.

A light knock sounded and Loghain announced his presence.

“I can come back,” Loghain said from just outside her door.

“It’s quite alright,” she said, swallowing and hitting the button to open the door. 

Loghain’s appearance directly in the doorway surprised Marian with a hit of his cologne. For a moment her mouth watered, having become familiar with the warden’s scent after over a month of living within close quarters.

“You requested an audience?”

“Yes, I wanted to ask you about the battle. I am dreadfully sorry about turning command over to you. It was terribly rude. You are a guest on my ship, and I threw you to the dire wolves.”

“Marian,” he started.

“No,” she said. “I am sorry. It will not happen again.”

Loghain reached out and took her hand in his.

“Marian,” he said, in a caring tone. “You have nothing to worry about. Your crew handled themselves well during the battle. Despite your Pilot’s inexperience in space battles and the fact that their actual captain wasn’t aboard, the members of your team responded quickly and efficiently to the call of battle.”

Marian locked gazes with the older man, and smiled.

“They’d better,” she muttered. “The team has been working hard these last few weeks. I’m glad to see that the training has helped.”

“Your ship is trained in escorting dignitaries and clearing out slaver camps and the like. It bodes exceptionally well for the upcoming war.” Loghain said, the worried brow smoothing slightly. 

“Omega is quite the prize, It was incredibly well timed that we were there. To lose all that eezo to the terrorist group would have been devastating.”

“I agree.”

Marian faltered. She watched as the Warden searched her features, heat rising on her cheeks at the intense scrutiny. 

“You look exhausted, Marian,” Loghain replied, surprising her with her first name.

“No rest for the wicked, serah.” 

The man frowned, then opened up an app on his omni tool and typed a few commands in. Marian watched, unsure what to say. 

“I’m sending you some help,” he said, his eyes staying on the pad as he typed away.

“No disrespect, Chamberlain, but can you do that?”

Loghain’s eyes shot up, and he frowned at her once more.

“I’m bringing in a few of my own ships to help out.”

“Your own ships? You mean warden teams?” she asked, wondering why Loghain would do this.

“The three ships are headed by Spectres and are being wasted on official Warden duties. You and Shepard are building a fleet of special operatives to spearhead the battle against the Reapers.”

At the look she gave him, Loghain raised an eyebrow as if he dared her to deny it.

“At least with your team my men will be able to help.”

Marian sighed, unsure how this decision would hold with Shepard.

“Very well. But we have Council orders to head to the Viper System in a few hours. Perhaps they could meet us on the Citadel when we return?”

Loghain nodded. 

“I will apprise Mr. Guerrin of my decision to release the wardens into your command.”

Marian grimaced then, what did it say about her that she’d met with Loghain before she’d contacted the CEO of her company about the battle they’d engaged in overnight? 

Marian glancing up to see Loghain staring at her. This was turning into a mess. Suddenly all she wanted was to get some sleep and avoid the Chamberlain for a few hours.

“I’ll let you know when we arrive at the Citadel,” she said. “I don’t want to take any more of your time.”

“Marian,” Loghain said, stopping her hand from opening the door. 

She looked at him in silence, ripples of fear and something else she couldn’t pinpoint raced through her body.

The man half a step away sighed before speaking to her.

“Get some rest.”

“Of course, Chamberlain,” she said with a nod.

Loghain walked out of her quarters and Marian sank into a nearby seat, surprised at how drained she felt. 

Before she could attempt a call with Teagan, the terminal light flickered on her desk signaling a new message from inside the fleet.

Not wanting to miss anything important, Marian called up the message. It was from Cailan requesting her appearance in the medbay for a quick check up.

She sent him a quick message that she’d be up shortly and then called Tegan on the QEC to let him know what had happened. Her boss had been concerned about the crew, but she’d reported back that she would give him a full extensive report as soon as she could. She also mentioned to Teagan that Loghain was going to bring three warden ships into the fold. There was nothing to worry about, she’d told him. Let Loghain fight it out with Teagan in the meantime. 

An hour later Marian had returned from her appointment with Cailan. He’d scolded her for using the booster and had ordered her to get some rest before the jump, but Marian knew she wouldn’t have time. He’d given her a shot for the pain in her shoulder, recommending at least two days before she went out on the field. Marian promised nothing. She’d seen the disappointment in the medic’s eyes as she refused to obey his orders but shrugged it off. There was a war to prepare for and no time for rest.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

  
The small fleet made the jump to Viper Nebula just after 1900 SGT. Though they hadn’t left exactly on time, Marian was glad that they’d jumped in the same day that they’d been ordered to go. It was especially important in order to maintain their forward momentum. Alenko’s ship remained behind on Omega for repairs.

  
Loghain had sent a message confirming that the three warden ships would be waiting on the Citadel for her arrival. Marian had worried her lip as she’d read the message from the Chamberlain. He was still on her ship and the fact that he’d messaged her, perhaps she’d angered him.

  
For now though, the plan was to spend a week in the Viper Nebula scanning for Reaper signatures. There hadn’t been any signs of collectors since she’d blown the ship in the Valhallan Threshold.

  
Marian stumbled out of the elevator as she headed to her suite. She was exhausted, the energy booster finally wearing off. The meds that Cailan had given her for her bruised shoulder were still keeping her system buzzed, but Marian knew that her body was beginning to shut down.

  
Finally reaching her room, Marian stripped off her clothes and ordered the VI to lock her doors for the next eight hours. The only thing that would wake her up now was an emergency override from Varric’s omni-tool.

  
Naked, save for her underwear, and exhausted, Marian collapsed on top of her blankets. She could deal with the world when she woke up.

  
“Hawke, get your ass outta bed, and get some clothes on.”

  
Varric’s familiar drawl pulled Marian from her sleep and she looked around her room.

  
Her XO stood at the foot of her bed, his arms crossed.

  
“What time is it?” she asked.

  
“You still had three hours on your lock, but we got a problem.”

  
Marian groaned, throwing her blanket over her legs to get back at least a little of her modesty.

  
“What is it now?” she asked.

  
“The Waking Sea is reporting reaper signatures within the system.”

  
“Excuse me?” she asked, suddenly feeling completely awake.

  
“There’s some sort of signature originating from an asteroid in the system.”

  
“Reaper tech?” she asked. “You think they’re already here?”

  
“Not exactly. Murdock picked up on some chatter from an Alliance base. They keep talking about Object Rho.”

  
“What does that mean?”

  
“Don’t know yet, but Shepard is requesting a meeting with you, now.”

  
Marian looked down at her nearly naked state.

  
“Well shit,” she said, jumping out of the bed.

  
“You might want to grab a some food before you call the Major. If it’s as dire as it sounds, it may be a while before you get another chance.”

  
Marian nodded, and rushed over to the bathroom.

  
“Pull out some suitable attire for me please,” she said, closing the door almost all the way. “Something capable for combat. I don’t want to be checking out the base in heels, Varric.”

  
She pulled off her breast band and underwear as the water began running so she could brush her teeth and do something about the rat’s nest on her head. From the other room she could hear Varric grumble something about an unjust Maker, and she rolled her eyes.

  
In the end it took seven minutes for her to get her teeth brushed, hair up, and dressed, after Varric agreed to turn around while she got changed.

  
Turning on her personal QEC, Marian shooed her executive officer out of the room and waited for John to pick up.

  
“You’re alive,” John said, appearing before her.

  
“Barely,” she groaned. “Did you manage to get any sleep?”

  
“A few hours,” he shrugged. “But I don’t need that much sleep these days.”

  
Marian nodded, no one needed to mention his Cerberus upgrades.

  
“You needed to speak with me?”

  
“Perhaps it would be better if we did this in person,” he said.

  
Marian nodded. QEC arrays were fairly unhackable, but if there was reaper tech in the system, it was possible that the reapers were listening.

  
“I’ll take a shuttle in a few minutes and we can chat on the Normandy,” she said.

  
“Come alone,” he said.

  
Marian nodded, then shut down the machine.

  
Sending a message to the shuttle bay to get a shuttle prepped, Marian walked out of her suite to head to the armory.

  
Varric stood before her, leaning against the wall and eyeing her carefully.

  
“Going to meet the Major all on your lonesome?” he asked.

  
Marian sighed.

  
“Yes, Varric.”

  
“I think it’s a stupid idea.”

  
“Objection noted,” she said, stepping past him.

  
“You don’t know what’s on that asteroid, Hawke. Why are you putting yourself in danger like this?”

  
“It’s my job as Captain,” she replied. “And Council semi-spectre.”

  
“Hawke, please. I have a bad feeling about this.”

  
That stopped Marian in her tracks.

  
She turned and looked carefully at her dwarven friend.

  
“Do you know something about this?”

  
“I know you’ll go down there and check it out, whatever it is. I know there’s probably a few hundred thousand batarians in the system. Many of them with relatives that you’ve been killing in the Terminus. I know Shepard is in just as much trouble with the Batarians as you are.”

  
“Varric. I promise that I won’t go anywhere without letting you know. Alright?”

  
He glared.

  
“This is what we are out here for, to determine whether the systems are vulnerable to direct attacks or not.”

  
“Just be careful, alright, Hawke?”

  
Varric looked down at his boots for a moment then turned back to look at her.

  
“We’ve been lucky so far, but the war hasn’t even started yet. Don’t let this fleet lose their Thedosian leader.”

  
She stepped up close to him and touched his cheek turning his face up to meet hers.

  
“I’ll fight till my last,” she said, then placed a kiss on his cheek. “Besides, if I die you can have my job and all the sweet sweet perks that come along with it.”

  
He grumbled as she walked toward the elevator. A few seconds later the doors opened and Marian walked inside.

  
“I will contact you before we do anything, Varric. I will not leave you behind if I can help it.”

  
The doors shut between them and Marian was on her way to the armory.

  
Half an hour later Marian found herself sitting in Shepard’s loft, John paced back and forth while she took a seat on his couch.

  
“John,” she said, keeping her voice quiet and calm. “What’s going on?”

  
“I received a priority message from Hackett,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “He found out we were in the Viper System and needs me to break into a batarian prison in order to save a friend of his.”

  
Marian nodded.

  
“This has to do with that Alliance base, right?”

  
He returned the nod.

  
“He wants me to go in alone. No need to piss the batarians off.”

  
Marian leaned back to look at him. John was scared.

  
“That is strange,” she said, glancing down at the mission specs on the data pad he’d handed her. “Has Hackett ever ordered you to go in alone?”

  
“Not since he became my commanding officer,” John said.

  
“Where is the prison?”

  
“Bahak.”

  
Marian grimaced, landing a squad of humans and thedosians on the militant planet was a bad idea. Reading the notes on the datapad he handed her, Marian strategized.

  
“Perhaps it is best if you go in on your own. One soldier is a lot easier to hide than a ground team.”

  
John looked up at her, stopping his pacing. His eyes spoke of betrayal, though he said nothing.

  
“You go in on your own, as ordered. You get this Dr. Kenson woman and break out. I will have Alfstanna’s team scanning comms and blocking internal chatter. While you get Dr. Kenson, I’ll take a squad to the alliance base, check up on this reaper signature Technician Daveth picked up on.”

  
“I can’t let you go onto the Alliance base,” he said.

  
Marian gawked.

  
“I thought we were past trust issues at this point, John. You brought me up here to help, remember?”

  
“It’s not that,” he said. “I trust you. But I can’t send a Thedosian down to a supposed high security, top secret facility on her own.”

  
She crossed her legs, eyeing the mini-armory she’d placed on the table. Marian had brought an array of weapons from her ship not knowing what exactly she’d need to do for Shepard.

  
Glowing handcuffs caught her attention.

  
“Shepard,” she said, staring at the cuffs. “I have an idea. But you’re going to have to trust me.”

  
Marian turned her eyes up to his, and watched as he glanced down to her weapons.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arrival

Chapter 10

  
Marian watched the radar in the Normandy as the Waking Sea, Lothering and Alenko’s Vancouver Bay disappeared through the relay headed for the Sol System. Though Alenko’s ship had needed a few extra hours on Omega for repairs, it had been ready for action once Marian met up with Shepard.

  
In order to ensure that position of The Normandy remained secret, she’d had one of the Lothering’s larger shuttles fly through the relay on its own, mimicking the Normandy’s signature while they remained stealthed. If 4 ships registered coming into Viper, 4 ships needed to register leaving, at least until their separate missions completed.

  
Once the convoy had disappeared, John ordered the Normandy to head for the star, where they would deploy John’s Kodiak. At confirmation of the ships arriving in Sol, Marian watched John give a few last orders to his crew and then joined him on the elevator bound for the shuttle bay.

  
“Are you ready for this, Marian?” he asked, glancing sideways at her.

  
Marian rolled her shoulders.

  
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

  
John nodded.

  
Silence descended on them while the elevator slowly dropped to the lowest deck on the stealth frigate.

  
“I want to thank you for doing this.”

  
Marian turned to look at him.

  
“We’re team mates, John. I would expect no less from anyone else on my team.”

  
“Good luck,” he said, in the privacy of the elevator.

  
“To you as well. We’ll see each other again soon.”

  
The doors opened and John allowed her to go first.

  
Already suited up and waiting were Vega and Cortez, borrowed from Alenko’s squad.

  
“Major,” they said simultaneously, both saluting their commanding officer.

  
“Gentlemen,” John said, returning the salute. “You’ve both been briefed on your duties.”

  
“Yes, sir.”

  
“This job is of the highest confidentiality. You are acting under the overriding orders of a Council Spectre.”

  
“Yes, sir,” they replied.

  
“Let’s get going then.”

  
Marian followed the men into the shuttle and took a seat across from John. With Vega at the helm, Cortez stood in the rear, his hand on a grip as Joker opened the bay doors and they flew out into space.

  
With the first stop being scheduled as the prison base, Marian settled in and waited for Vega’s call. She wouldn’t need to be ready until they reached the asteroid.

  
It took nearly an hour to get to the Batarian controlled planet, where Vega stopped only long enough to drop Shepard off then they flew away toward the asteroid.

  
Marian glanced down at her clothes, a ragged set of civvies, torn knees and scuffmarks included. She had a pistol tucked into her breast band, a couple of pins in her hair, and a stiletto tucked into her boot. She hadn’t picked up a knife in years, but if the Alliance team found them out, she needed as much of an advantage as she could. It was times like these where she wished she was human. If she was, Marian would have had a biotic chip implanted during her first days in the military. As it was, Thedosians only had natural biotic powers, and those who didn’t naturally have access to the Fade didn’t fare well if they implanted an unnatural chip into their brains. The natural biotics could be read by certain scanners and could trigger alarms when she walked through and Marian hoped that the blocker that Cailan had given her held out.

  
“This is Alliance Shuttle KT-571 requesting refuel and resupply,” Vega announced to the unheard air control tower.

  
“Under Spectre Authorization 5574958, we were in the system to apprehend a fugitive.”

  
“Charade Amell,” he replied. “Bounty RJC25.”

  
“We entered the system 56 hours ago.”

  
“No, Spectre Alenko is not on the ship. He’s still on the Citadel.”

  
“Yes, ma’am,” Vega said, rolling his eyes in Marian’s direction.

  
Marian snapped one of the cuff bracelets around her right, then allowed Cortez to snap the one on her left wrist around her back. Taking a deep breath, Marian nodded at the man.

  
“Thank you, ma’am,” Vega said to the unheard voice. Then speaking over his shoulder, he continued.

  
“We’re set for landing.”

  
“Go ahead, Cortez,” Marian said, her nerves fluttering in her stomach.

  
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” he grimaced.

  
“Just do what you,” she started, then abruptly stopped speaking as light exploded behind her eyelids. Marian reeled from the pain of Cortez’s punch. They needed a convincing cover of a pissed off prisoner, and what better than a rapidly blooming black-eye.

  
“Damn, Esteban,” Vega said from the front of the shuttle.

  
Marian managed to open her good eye to see Cortez shaking his hand.

  
“If it’s any consolation, ma’am, your skull is damn hard.”

  
“It helps,” she said, trying to breathe through the pain.

  
“We’ve been approved for descent,” Vega said. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

  
Ten minutes later, Marian was being escorted to a holding cell by an armed Cortez while the shuttle underwent a few repairs and refueling. Marian had given up her official omni-tool back on the Normandy much to Varric’s dismay; in order to appear as much a prisoner as her cousin would be should the Alliance ever find her. Instead she had a standard omni-tool with a few programs on it, something she’d borrowed from engineer Donnelly.

  
“Behave yourself, Amell,” Cortez said, as he pushed her down the hall.

  
“You can take your Alliance and shove it up your.”

  
Cortez whipped her around and pressed her to the wall, her head bashing against the pre-fab materials.

  
“One more outburst, bitch, and I’ll show you just how much power the Alliance has.”

  
“You only got me on Spectre authority, you slimeball,” she replied, eyeing Cortez up and down.

  
“That’s enough out of you.”

  
Cortez backhanded her and Marian whimpered slightly at the sting of his hand. She licked her lip, immediately tasting the coppery hint of blood from a split lip.

  
A few of the soldiers who’d gathered around leered at the show. Marian did a quick count; at least ten soldiers just milling about.

  
At least she had Vega and Cortez with her.

  
Cortez continued down the hall.

  
“You have a cell I can put her in? I could use a meal while we’re stuck here,” he said to a passing lieutenant.

  
“Sir,” the man said, turning and leading the way down a long corridor.

  
Over the top of a doorway, currently secured, was a large marquee counting down. Though she only had a quick glance at the counter, Marian noted the time, 2 days 4 hours 15 minutes, and wondered what they were anticipating.

  
Cortez shoved her forward in order to keep her moving, and Marian stumbled running into the LT’s back. As the Lieutenant attempted to straighten himself out Marian slipped the badge that had been clipped to his pants pocket into her hand.

  
Fifty steps forward, through a set of doors, right, another 20 paces and into the cell of the LT’s choosing.

  
“Thanks, Lieutenant,” Cortez said, to the man who opened the door.

  
The solider nodded and then locked the cell behind Marian. She watched as Cortez clapped the guy on the shoulder in some sort of friendly gesture, then the two men disappeared around the corner.

  
Using the program that EDI had hidden on the tool, Marian quickly sent an overload into the room, hopefully frying all cameras within the vicinity and hacked through the cuff’s locking software.

  
She had twenty minutes before Cortez would come back to get her, and hopefully she had just as much time to hack into the Alliance systems.

  
Thankfully she’d memorized all of the codes that Shepard had given her for access to as many systems as possible.

  
On her third attempt, Marian broke through the encryption on the door lock and slid the door open manually, having disabled the mechanics that normally auto-opened the doors.

  
Ensuring the programming was set on the omni-tool, Marian walked down the hall using the cloaking device that Kasumi had added.

  
With the badge she’d pilfered, Marian walked back out through the doorway and down into the hall where the countdown marquee hung.

  
The doors slid open in front of her thanks to the NFC chip in the badge and Marian snuck around the doorway, ducking underneath a terminal station when she heard people coming. She wasn’t sure how long the cloaking software would last and wasn’t about to chance a brush-by with the unknown variable.

  
The couple walked by chattering amiably about Object Rho and Marian waited until the count of ten to refresh the cloak and stand up. She walked down a short corridor and two doors opened, revealing a large reaper artifact just sitting out in the open.

  
“Maker’s Breath,” she muttered. Didn’t these fools know the dangers of leaving out reaper tech.

  
A hand pushed her forward and Marian spun around to see her device short-out.

  
“You’re not supposed to be in here,” one of the scientists said, his face contorting and tone even and dreamlike.

  
“Why isn’t there a shield around this thing?” she asked, pointing back at the artifact.

  
“A shield is unnecessary,” he replied. “You’re not supposed to be in here.”

  
The man reached over to grab her arm and Marian twisted, allowing him to take hold of her and using his body as momentum. She slammed the man into a nearby partition, and he stumbled back.

  
“You cannot stop the Reapers,” he said, his voice taking on a strange tone.

  
Marian gasped. The man had been indoctrinated, just like the other cases she’d studied.

  
“You cannot fight the inevitable,” an ethereal voice called out to her. Marian spun around trying to find the source.

  
The reaper artifact pulsed with glowing blue eezo radiation.

  
“You cannot win,” it told her.

  
Marian shook her head.

  
“You will not win,” she fought back.

  
“These men are already ours,” the object replied.

  
Marian spun around as a hand landed on her shoulder. Drawing the knife from her boot, Marian sliced the man’s arm, causing him to scream out in pain. She looked around the room as other indoctrinated men and women began rushing toward her.

  
“Andraste’s Tits,” she growled. Five against one was definitely not going to work in her favor. The one heatsink in the pistol taped to her chest wasn’t going to reload itself and without access to her biotics, she’d need more than her melee training to get her out of this one.

  
“Hawke to team Kodiak,” she said into the comm. on the omni-tool. “I need your help at my location. The alliance members have been indoctrinated. There is a live Reaper artifact in here and it’s not shielded. It’s talking to me.”

  
She turned to see a couple techs advancing, and she crouched into an attack stance, one male tried to rush at her and she ducked low enough at the last second to grab the man and flip him onto the floor.

  
Another guard rushed at Marian and she spun around, kicking her leg out and shoving the man backwards. Beside her, the man she’d first toppled groaned, and Marian dropped to her knee, popping the man in the jaw, and knocking him out with the force of his head hitting the concrete floor.

  
The next few minutes passed in a blur as she finished off the other three alliance techs. A group of men ran in from the doorway, carrying firestorms. She threw out an overload in their direction, then pulled out her pistol and shot toward the canister of the furthest tech. The firestorm exploded and the man screamed out in agony. Marian ducked behind a terminal and deep breath. Peering over the partition, she saw that still three of the pyro-technicians were moving around the room, in an attempt to flank her position. She glanced at her tool, ten seconds until another overload was ready. She didn’t have that kind of time.

  
Marian jumped out of cover and shot at another firestorm container, this time on the back of the man to her left. He screamed and she released another overload at the two men.

  
The overload managed to knock only one of them out, but Marian was ready for the last man as he charged at her.

  
A shot rang out and Marian turned to see Vega standing in the doorway.

  
“You ok, Lola?” he asked, looking her over.

  
Doors on the other side of the room burst open. She spun around to see five men armed with vindicators and heavy omni-shields rush into the room.

  
She ducked behind cover to see Vega jump behind a nearby console.

  
“Shit,” he muttered loud enough for her to hear.

  
Marian glanced over the partition and saw a YMIR Mech walk into the room behind the warriors. They needed to take out the mech first, the machine guns in the mech’s arms would be the most damaging to their crew.

  
She called out her order and Vega chucked a grenade through the air and into the group of warriors.

  
Marian glared at him, but was surprised to see Vega unloading a clip into the cameras of the YMIR mech’s face.

  
The frag grenade went off, temporarily stunning the warriors and Marian shot the right arm of the mech, fragmenting the SMG inside.

  
“You need some help, ma’am?” Cortez grinned as he ducked into the room.

  
“Focus on the soldiers. I need to get that thing shielded.”

  
He nodded and Marian turned to a nearby console, quickly hacking into the systems with Shepard’s override and locating the programming. She wasn’t sure she was the best person to do this, her tech skills were child’s play compared to Merrill and Sebastian, but she did what she could.  
Glancing up, Marian saw only two men remaining.

  
Returning her attention on the screen, Marian finally found the files she was looking for. The Alliance certainly didn’t try to remain cryptic and mysterious with their titles. She opened the folder marked ‘Object Rho’. The folder revealed a dozen documents and spreadsheets accessible to everyone on the station. She quickly found the files she was looking for and started downloading them to her omni-tool.

  
As the documents downloaded, she opened another system, intent on placing a shield around the object.

  
“You cannot win,” the voice screamed into her mind.

  
Darkness began to invade her mind, but Marian pushed through, finally finding what she needed. Once the proper procedures were in place she activated the codes and a blue eezo-powered shield surrounded the artifact.

  
“Room Clear,” Cortez announced and Marian felt one of the men sidle beside her.

  
“Madre de Dios,” Vega said, looking at the terminal she had open.

  
“They’re going to be here in two days?”

  
“We have to let people know,” Marian said.

  
“We have to stop them from using the relay,” Cortez said. “They’re headed straight for Earth.”

  
“We destroy the relay and we doom the system to extinction.”

  
“We might not have a choice, Lola,” Vega replied.

  
“There’s always a choice,” she said, practically growling at the man beside her.

  
“Captain,” Cortez said. “We have an incoming batarian shuttle. Identifying as Dr. Kenson.”

  
“That’s probably Shepard,” she said. “But I wouldn’t count on that for sure. Clear the way to the landing pad then arrest the Doctor. She’s likely to be as indoctrinated as the others, be prepared for a fight. I’ve got to call the fleet back,” she said to Lieutenant Vega.

  
Marian glanced up at the marquee, 49 hours remaining.

  
“Vega, connect me to the fleet then join Cortez.”

  
“You sure about that?” he asked.

  
“Do as I say, Lieutenant,” she nearly growled out and Vega nodded, turning to a comm. console nearby working nearly three times as fast as she could and cutting through the communication unit.

  
“Good luck, Hawke,” he said, once the appropriate software had loaded on the screen.

  
She nodded.

  
“I’ll catch up soon.”

  
Vega raced out of the room and disappeared into the corridor.

  
“This is Captain Hawke attempting to reach the SSV Normandy. Please come back.”

  
Static.

  
“This is Captain Hawke, Security Authorization L25KP87, attempting to reach the SSV Normandy. Please come back.”

  
Static.

  
“This is Captain Hawke,” she repeated.

  
“Hawke, this is Flight Lieutenant Moreau.”

  
“Thank the Maker,” she sighed. “Joker, this is a direct order. The fleet needs to return to the Viper System and begin evacuations.

  
“The Alliance Crew working on the Object Rho project have been indoctrinated. The estimated time of Reaper arrival is less than 49 hours. There are about to be 306,567 deaths on our hands if we don’t evacuate Bahak immediately. Every available Thedosian and Alliance ship in the fleet must help clear the system.”

  
“Hawke, this is Spectre Alenko. Where is Shepard?”

  
“Shepard is being located at this time. I sent Cortez and Vega after him. Hurry your asses up and get back here. I need to alert the Hegemony. Do what you can to alert the Batarian Ambassador on the Citadel. If I can’t get their attention, it wouldn’t matter if the entire Alliance fleet is out here trying to help them.”

  
“You’re sure about this, Hawke?”

  
“You can speak to Vega and Cortez to confirm my story later, Major. There’s no time to debate right now.”

  
She heard the sharp intake of air as the Major on the other end weighed his options.

  
“Fine,” he said. “We’re sending in the fleet.”

  
The comm. dropped and Marian pulled up the database of radio signals in the area, hoping to find something that could connect her with Batarian systems.

  
It took far longer than she anticipated and Marian glanced up to see twenty minutes had passed since she hung up with Spectre Alenko.

  
“This is Captain Marian Hawke, attempting to reach anyone in Batarian Space. Please come back.”

  
Marian called out to communication arrays for ten minutes without a reply.

  
“Hawke.”

  
Marian spun around to see Shepard, Vega, and Cortez running through the corridor.

  
“Where’s Dr. Kenson?”

  
“You were right,” Cortez said. “Vega had to kill her.”

  
Marian grimaced.

  
“We need to get out of here,” Shepard replied.

  
“I can’t reach the Batarians,” she said.

  
“Kenson took out the comm. tower.”

  
“Andraste’s,”

  
“Tit’s,” Shepard grinned. “Yeah, we know.”

  
“The shuttle is just outside the building, we have to hurry.”

  
“We have to stop the Reapers,” she said.

  
“Kenson said something about using the asteroid to destroy the Relay,” Cortez said.

  
Vega moved Marian out of the way and began searching through the console.

  
“Set it to blow in 40 hours,” Shepard said. “That should be plenty of time to get as many Batarians out as possible.”

  
Vega nodded, keying in commands to the system.

  
“Once we get to the shuttle, we’ll attempt to contact the Hegemony again,” he said.

  
“All set, Admiral,” Vega replied.

  
“What about the other Alliance soldiers?” Marian said.

  
“Nothing to be done, Hawke,” Shepard said. “We tried to break the indoctrination, but there’s nothing we can do anymore for these men and women.”

  
“Then let’s get out of here,” Marian said.

  
Within a few moments, the quartet was racing down the corridors, headed for the shuttle.

  
Settled into the back of the kodiak, Marian watched as John keyed up the communications.

  
“This is Spectre John Shepard attempting to reach any members of the Hegemony.”

  
“Shepard,” a batarian called out over the PA system. “A lot has changed since we last spoke.”

  
“Balak,” John replied.

  
“The last time I saw you, you let me go to save a few measly slaves. A mistake to be sure.”

  
“Balak, you have to evacuate your people from the Viper System.”

  
“Why should I do that? Your little Cerberus buddies are no where nearby.”

  
“The Reapers plan to use this relay to access the rest of the galaxy, wiping out trillions of people.”

  
“The Reapers only bring the inevitable destruction of the Council races.”

  
“Balak, they will destroy us all if you don’t help us stop them.”

  
“Your Alliance is spreading lies, Admiral.”

  
“Balak, listen to me.”

  
“You listen to me, Shepard,” he growled out over the comm. “I am the most powerful member of the Batarian fleets. The Reapers helped get me there. I will not betray them.”

  
“Son of a bitch,” Shepard muttered. “Balak, they will harvest your people the same way they’re doing to the humans and the asari and the turians. Your people will be a mere stop in their takeover of the galaxy if you don’t help us now.”

  
A pause in comm. static seemed to last a year. Marian felt ill.

  
“Fine,” Balak growled out. “I’m ordering all available ships to leave. But if you’ve lied to me, Shepard…”

  
“I’m sending in my own ships to help with the evac. You shoot at my fleet, and we’ll leave you to die at the Reapers hands. You have less than forty hours before the relay blows.”

  
“That’s cutting it close, Shepard.”

  
“We only just found out about it, the team investigating was indoctrinated.”

  
“My ships will be out of the system in thirty hours.”

  
“Your people have been looking for a reason for war since we arrived. Now is your chance for it. Only direct your anger toward the Reapers.”

  
“Yes, Shepard,” Balak growled through the radio static. “We’ll talk again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Object Rho, how I hate you!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

  
With twelve hours left on the countdown, two hours left until the thrusters built into the asteroid sent the rock careening toward the relay, Marian and John paced the comm. tower on the no-longer secret Alliance base. Shepard had contacted Hackett and relayed what information he could. Hackett in return had ordered them to remain as long as possible, to ensure no one messed with the asteroid’s trajectory.

  
The Lothering had made three trips into the system already to pick up colonists who didn’t have access to ships and shuttles. Marian was proud of her teams for taking on this task. While the Lothering was only a small frigate, they managed to cram 500 men women and children into the rooms in order to get them out, while keeping in line with weight capacities and regulations on the vessels. Marian was sure that she’d hear it from the investors, but there wouldn’t be time to worry about them if the Reapers made it through the relay.

  
Ships in nearby systems had been lighting up the relay like a hanar on sparkle fish, jumping in and out and helping the Batarians get either to Batarian colony worlds or safe houses within Council Space. Tallies kept by the teams and forwarded to the base indicated that nearly 270,000 batarians had already left the system. Even Balak’s fleets had come in and helped out, rather than bolting at the first sign of freedom.

  
With most ships being out of the system for nearly ten hours, the numbers were getting far too close for any ships to return. The latest batch of ships coming in would be the last to see the Viper System. In the past hour nearly a thousand ships had entered Batarian space in order to help the civilians. Marian could hardly believe it. The Council’s plans had come to fruition and the various races were working together, at least temporarily.

  
“Alright,” Shepard said, taking a look at the clock. “It’s time to finish this.”  
He walked to the radio and called Balak’s team.

  
“What’s your status?”

  
“Just finishing the last load up,” Balak said, his usual growl gone from his voice.

  
“I’m ordering all ships to leave the system; anyone left behind is doing this out of full knowledge of their fate.”

  
“If they’re dumb enough to stay behind, let ‘em,” Balak replied.

  
“You have one hour to get all ships out of here. I’m lighting this asteroid in thirty minutes.”

  
“I had a call from Admiral Hackett not too long ago, Shepard. Never thought I’d see him contacting me on the QEC.”

  
Marian turned to look at John, surprised herself.

  
“And?” John prompted.

  
“He’s assigning the fifth fleet to help round up all my displaced men to get them to one of our other colonies. For the Alliance’s help, I’ve agreed to supply a few fleets toward the final battle, whenever that takes place.”

  
“I knew there was more to you than terrorism,” Shepard said.

  
“Don’t go spreading it around, Shepard.”

  
The line went dead and Marian grinned, leaning against a partition.

  
“Well that went surprisingly well,” she said to her partner.

  
“I’d still be weary of betrayal,” John replied. “We don’t know for sure how indoctrinated Balak and his men really are.”

  
Marian nodded.

  
John turned to the team that had joined them. In addition to Vega and Cortez, Garrus, and a few companions from his Cerberus days had come down in a shuttle a few hours back, just in case someone tried to sabotage their mission. Marian had been surprised to see Thane and Legion, the AI who’d saved Shepard’s life on the collector ship, but to see Miranda, a former Cerberus member, helping save the Batarians, she could hardly believe it. The entire scene was a testament to the abilities of John Shepard.

  
“Sweep the grounds,” John said. “We need to make sure no one is left when we board the Normandy. Any signs of life or sabotage need to be taken care of. You each have a section of the base to clear. Once that’s finished, report to the landing pad in 45 minutes.”

  
The crew dispersed. They’d already done multiple sweeps, ensuring that the mech IFFs were switched off and power cells had been removed. Currently stockpiled in the comm. tower, the power cells for at least 250 mech units were sitting idle. Shepard hadn’t taken any chances; he didn’t want their exit to be slowed.

  
When the countdown reached 11 hours, Shepard activated the thrusters. The asteroid rocked, causing Marian to nearly fall over with the force.

  
“Let’s go,” he said, nodding toward her. They had ten minutes to get down to the landing pad before the Normandy would land.

  
Marian followed John through the corridor and down a long winding staircase to the base of the comm. tower. They raced along the pathways, while receiving reports from all members of the team as they arrived at the landing pad.

  
Just before Marian stepped out onto the pad, a giant hologram, reminiscent of vid’s she’d seen of Sovereign’s attack on the Citadel, appeared in the air.

  
“You have become an annoyance,” a great booming voice announced to the vicinity.

  
Marian cringed. The voice sounded exactly like the Object Rho voice, and her hands shook as she reached for her pistol.

  
“You fight against inevitability,” the voice continued.

  
John shouted at the hologram, but the blood rushing through Marian’s ears drowned out his voice.

  
“You are like dust to the cosmic winds,” the Reaper hologram continued.

  
The edges of Marian’s vision began to darken.

  
“Your work here is not a victory. The galaxy’s greatest civilizations are doomed to failure.”

  
Marian dropped to her knees as pain shot through her brain.

  
“You are a failure,” the voice echoed inside her head. “Only through penance will you return to our good graces.”

  
The pain doubled, and vaguely Marian could feel her hands gripping her helm.

  
“You must get rid of Shepard.”

  
A hand dropped onto her shoulder, shocking Marian out of her stupor. Looking up, she saw the blurry forms of two men in Alliance uniforms.

  
“Lola?” a vaguely familiar voice asked, cutting through the din of static in her head.

  
Marian blinked a few times.

  
“We need to get going,” Cortez’ familiar drawl called out.

  
Marian allowed the men to help her up, and the three of them raced down the path toward the waiting Normandy. Her feet could barely keep up as they moved, and she stumbled with 100 meters or so to go.

  
“Shit,” Vega grunted as she tripped over her own feet.

  
Marian whimpered an apology; her head felt like it was splitting in two.

  
“Come on,” Cortez said, and Marian felt herself lifted into the air, in what the human’s called a ‘fireman’s carry’, and they reached the shuttle bay doors.

  
The Normandy took off as soon as the shuttle bay locked shut and Marian’s world twisted and spun as she tried to right herself.

  
“We’re taking you to the medbay,” Shepard said, cutting through the static.

  
“Don’t forget your mission,” the voice growled in her head.

  
Marian closed her eyes, whimpering, she didn’t want to listen to that beastly voice. It commanded her to do bad things. It wanted her to reach for her gun and kill her friend.

  
They entered the elevator some time later and Cortez placed her feet back on the ground.

  
“Commander, we will reach the relay in two minutes,” Joker’s familiar voice said over the comms.

  
“We’ll watch from the CIC,” he said.

  
“Let me watch,” Marian managed to say, fighting the orders in her head. “I need to make sure.”

  
“You really should get to the medbay,” Cortez said.

  
“I can go to the medbay after we ensure the destruction of the relay,” she said, mustering as much admonition as she could.

  
“Yes, Captain,” the Marine replied, straightening up to his full height.

  
When they arrived at the CIC, Marian eschewed the offer of Vega to escort her to the galaxy map, she wasn’t about to let the others see her in a weakened state.

  
As they sidled up to the steps, Joker called out his normal checks over the PA, allowing the team to know they were approaching the relay. Marian walked up the two steps and held onto the banister as Joker counted down.

  
“Entering the relay in 3…2…1.”

  
She felt the momentary lurch as the eezo arms wrapped around the ship and the hair on her arms stood straight up as the inertial dampeners kicked in and they jumped to the safety of the Sol system. The galaxy map flickered as they connected to another comm. bouy and the information updated.

  
Thirty seconds passed as the secondary timer clicked away. A few Batarians had made it onto the Normandy and Marian was surprised to see them gathering around the central map.

  
“Contact in 5.304 seconds,” Legion called out from his position near the map.

  
A moment passed and the light that indicated the Bahak relay blinked out, and baited breaths of relief and sadness filled the CIC as the onlookers realized what had just happened.

  
An entire system had blinked out of existence; the thousands who refused to leave their homes had been killed. Though they had saved nearly all the Batarians, the few that had believed the flight from their homes was unnecessary, had just been proven wrong.

  
“Your victory today will only slow down the inevitable. Make no mistake,” the voice said, returning in her mind with great ferocity. “You will not succeed.”

  
Marian felt her knees buckle.

  
As her world went black, a familiar voice called out.

  
“Get her to the medbay, now.”

  
Marian opened her eyes, the world blurry around her. White lights overhead blinded her with brightness as she realized she’d been placed in the Normandy’s medbay.

  
Her world went black again.

  
The next time Marian come into consciousness, her eyes remained closed.

  
“Signs of… get her to the ship… the chamberlain…”

  
The voices faded away.

  
The third time Marian awoke, she could hear the incessant beeping of life support buzzing in her ears.

  
She blinked away her blurry vision and looked around the room. Four male figures surrounded her, taking up room in the small medbay.

  
After a few moments her vision cleared. Fergus, her supervisor and the VP of tactics at GSC, spoke to two familiar men. Aedan Cousland and Nathaniel Howe, two men she hadn’t seen in years were somehow on the ship. Why they were in the medbay with her, Marian had no clue. Aedan sat in a chair nearby while Nathaniel and a familiar looking elf, with tattoos on his face, stood in a corner near the doorway quietly chatting with each other.

  
“Marian,” Nathaniel’s relieved voice whispered.

  
She turned her gaze to see all three of the men stare at her in relief.

  
“Thank the Maker,” Fergus said, running his hand down his face.

  
“What happened?” she asked, her voice scratchy with disuse.

  
The men glanced at each other, grimaces clear on their faces, before turning to look at her once more, masks firmly in place.

  
“There was an incident, Marian,” Nathaniel said, standing and taking a few steps toward her.

  
The elf excused himself from the room, and Marian looked over at Aedan.

  
“What’s going on?”

  
Fergus scratched his chin.

  
“Why don’t we let the Chamberlain tell her,” he said, glancing over at Nathaniel.

  
“Chamberlain?”

  
Though her mind was fuzzy, Marian wondered about the man who’d last been on her ship. Why Fergus would be asking for him rather than Teagan, Marian had no idea.

  
Marian frowned at her healer.

  
“Loghain has come to oversee your care himself,” Fergus said.

  
“Why Loghain?” she asked, her brain throbbing in pain.

  
“Just wait and hear what he has to say,” Nathaniel said.

  
The doors slid open to reveal Loghain as he entered the medbay. Nathaniel saluted Loghain and he and Fergus left the room.

  
“Chamberlain Loghain,” she said, struggling to sit up in the bed. “What’s going on? Shouldn’t Fergus or Teagan be here?”

  
“I’ve already spoken to the CEO. He knows why I’ve come to speak to you.”

  
Marian nodded. It looked like whatever the Chamberlain had to say was extremely important.

  
“Marian,” he sighed, taking Nathaniel’s vacated seat. “You’ve been indoctrinated.”

  
“I…”

  
“It looks like the time you spent with the unshielded object was enough time to allow the Reapers access to your mind.”

  
“But, it was only unshielded for a few minutes,” she said, feeling a lump catch in her throat. “Not even half an hour.”

  
“We believe that the Reaper’s proximity allowed for the indoctrination to be nearly instantaneous.”

  
Marian nodded, feeling her eyes begin to water.

  
“So, you’ve come to end it then?” she asked, suddenly unable to meet the Chamberlain’s eyes.

  
Rumors abounded that it was the Grey Warden’s duty to exterminate the Thedosians exposed to Reaper Tech, and it seemed that the rumors were true.

  
“You have a choice,” he said.

  
Marian locked eyes with him, his words spurring a small glimmer of hope in her gut.

  
“One, is that you continue on in your indoctrination. This of course will cause Fergus to be forced to terminate your days with Guerrin Security Consultants. You will likely then be given a serum that will put you to sleep. In a few weeks time, your body will shut down, and you will die.”

  
Marian swallowed.

  
“The second choice is that you join the ranks of the Grey Wardens.”

  
“You are offering me a position in your fleets?”

  
“I’ve spoken to Teagan and he agrees that for now you would remain in charge of your SpecOps team. The Council’s project is going well enough that he does not want to jeopardize the peace between the humans and our own. Once the war is over we can sit down and update your contract with the corporation, putting you under my command. Someone else would likely be placed in command of _The Lothering_.”

  
Loghain paused, and Marian looked at him closely.

  
“How would this stop the indoctrination?” she asked.

  
Loghain quirked a smirk in her direction, and Marian was glad to see that she at least had part of her mind under her control.

  
“There is a ritual that all recruits must undertake in order to stop the indoctrination’s hold. More than that I cannot tell you until you commit to the Warden fleet.”

  
“And if I change my mind?”

  
“Once the ritual has begun, you will not be allowed to change your mind. It is for the protection of the Grey Warden Secrets.”

  
He spoke as if the secrets were important enough to kill over, and Marian supposed that they probably were.

  
Silence filled the medbay.

  
Loghain moved to stand, and reached out for her, placing his hand on her arm.

  
“For what it’s worth. I think you would make an exemplary Warden.”

  
Marian nodded.

  
“I’ll give you some time to decide. This decision is not undertaken lightly.”

  
“How long do I have?” she asked.

  
“An hour, the sooner we get things underway the better. Besides, you have duties to return to.”

  
Marian nodded and watched as Loghain walked out of the room.

  
Settling back into her pillows, Marian allowed the quiet beeping of the machines to calm her. She closed her eyes and thought about the decision she had to make. On the one hand, it would be so easy to give up and let someone else take the helm. On the other hand, she had a duty to her people, to the galaxy, to continue this path that was laid out before her.

  
Not once in her nearly thirty years had Marian considered joining the Wardens, not even during the battle of Kirkwall, when the Qunari had invaded their colony on Frostback. But now, she had little choice. It was submit or die.

  
A few minutes later, Aedan walked into the medbay. He’d been a family friend for years before Marian met Fergus. She wasn’t surprised to see the younger Cousland on the warden ship, but that he was coming to check on her was surprising. They had learned how to use their biotic abilities together in grade school and had been fast friends in those early years, nothing close like Bethany had with Elissa; but close enough. Marian had always been more of a tomboy than fitting in with Bethy and Elissa’s tea parties and games with dolls.

  
“How are you feeling?” he asked, sidling up to her side and looking at the machine readouts.

  
“A bit queasy,” she said, running her hand along her robed stomach.

  
“Not physically,” he specified, making sure to make eye contact with her before placing a friendly hand on her covered leg.

  
“Conflicted,” she said. “I never wanted to join the Wardens.”

  
Marian turned her eyes from his. “But I bet you always felt some higher calling to the Wardens.”

  
Though they hadn’t really spoken since graduating high school, Marian had known her friend had gone into the military, and later joined up with the Wardens.

  
“I was conscripted,” Aedan confessed, taking a seat beside her.

  
“Conscripted?” she asked. She hadn’t realized that the Wardens forced their ranks on civilians.

  
“I went AWOL from the Circle Fleets after the Battle for Fereldan about ten years ago. My first battle took place in the Denerim Colonies. Freshly recruited into the military and I got to watch my entire battalion get wiped out by a thresher maw.”

  
Marian grimaced, the reports she’d read from that battle had been gruesome.

  
“Six months later, I found myself on Amaranthine, hiding out in a bar when Knight Captain Otto and Senior Enchanter Elthina finally tracked me down. I’d have been charged with desertion and sent into the Terminus if it hadn’t been for Warden Riordan.”

  
“What did he do?” she asked.

  
Aedan smiled.

  
“He conscripted me into the Warden ranks, despite Elthina and Otto threatening to take me directly to the Thedas Council.”

  
Her blond friend paused.

  
“And now that you’re a Warden?” she asked.

  
“The Wardens may not be a perfect society, but they’ve given me the opportunity to find where I belong. When I joined them, I became an equal. It was probably the best thing that happened to me, even if I may hate them now and again. Membership is for life.”

  
Marian let out a shuddering breath, unsure what else to ask.

  
“They’re letting you keep your ship, right?” Aedan said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

  
“For now,” she said.

  
“I think that’s the best place for you then. You deserve to be heading this task force.”

  
“I’m not heading it,” she said quietly.

  
“You might as well be,” he grinned, waggling his eyebrows at her.

  
Aedan glanced up at the monitor and nodded to himself.

  
“Marian,” he said, after taking a deep breath. “The Joining Ritual has been known to be fatal. You may be facing your death in either case.”

  
She frowned at him, certain that he shouldn’t have told her that little tidbit of information.

  
“I better leave you to your thoughts,” he said, standing. “I have some things to prepare for when you say yes.”

  
“You seem quite sure of that,” she replied, shifting under her sheet.

  
“I know you, Marian. You are not a quitter. Giving up and allowing Teagan or my brother to give you that serum. That is not the Marian Hawke that I love.”

  
Marian felt a blush rise in her cheeks.

  
“You know what I mean,” he said, stopping her protestations with a wave of his hand.

  
“Thank you, Aedan,” she said, watching as her doctor left her to her thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh!!!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, but important chapter. Hope you, my dear readers, enjoy!  
> Still no beta, all mistakes are my own.  
> Job opening! I can't pay in anything other than stories though, and maybe a few nickels!

An hour later, Marian was dressed in a loose fitting shirt and drawstring pants, something she’d never expected to see on the Chamberlain’s ship. She’d realized when Loghain visited the medbay to get her answer that the room was designed only marginally different from the _Lothering’s_. But it hadn’t surprised her that Loghain had brought her onto his ship, especially if he’d planned for her to partake in the Grey Warden ritual.

  
She still had no idea what the ritual entailed, only that it was one of the most closely guarded secrets within the Grey Warden arsenal.

  
Grateful that they hadn’t insisted she wear the medbay gown to her induction, Marian wished that she had her armor anyway. Or, at the very least, a pantsuit to wear.

  
Escorted by her Aedan and Nathaniel, Marian entered a well decorated observation room on the crew deck.

  
The walls were covered with plaques and distinctions of many generations of Wardens. It seemed that Loghain’s ship had housed many Chamberlains throughout its lifetime. A wall covered in actual paper maps surprised her, the collection unparalleled with anything she’d ever seen before.

  
“Within this room,” Loghain said, stepping forward, “every person you see here has been welcomed into the ranks of the Warden Fleet. This room is a scared place, one reserved for meditations and ceremonies. It is within these walls that Grey Wardens are created and Grey Wardens go to the Maker.”

  
“I’m going to remove your IV,” Aedan said, leaning over a fiddling with the controls on the drip chamber, “just for the ritual, and then I’ll replace it, once the ritual has finished.”

  
Marian nodded, wondering just how badly the solution would mix with whatever they were going to give her.

  
“The Joining is a time honored tradition,” Loghain continued. “Every Warden since the beginning of our society has taken part in this Joining. It unites our members and allows us to continue on.”

  
Marian remained silent.

  
“Warden Recruit Hawke,” Loghain said. “Please step forward.”

  
Marian took a tentative step forward.

  
“Join us, brothers and sisters,” he said, reaching over to a nearby table and picking up a cup filled with a clear liquid.

  
“Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant.”

  
Marian glanced around the room to see nothing but compassion in the other wardens’ eyes.

  
“Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn.”

  
Loghain paused.

  
“And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day we shall join you.”

  
Marian took the offered cup, as instructed, and drank the contents. Almost immediately, Marian’s stomach churned and blood rushed through her ears as her world went black once more.

 

*****

  
Waking up for the second time in the medbay, Marian was pleasantly surprised to find that the lights had been turned down.

  
“Maker’s breath,” she said, trying to clear the images from her mind. Giant AI monsters, and the screams of the protheans filled her mind.

  
“Congratulations,” Loghain said, turning on a small lamp near his post. “You are now a Grey Warden.”

  
“I feel like I ate rancid Varren meat,” she groaned, clutching her stomach.

  
Loghain smirked.

  
“That’s not the first time I’ve heard that.”

  
“So, I survived the test?”

  
Loghain only glanced at her, reminding her how stupid she was to ask questions she already knew the answer to.

  
“What was in that cup?” she asked, deciding to focus on something other than her nightmare.

  
“A mixture of water, eezo, and 100cc suspension of nanites. There was also a drop of so-called ‘Reaper Blood’.”

  
“What now?” she asked. Had they seriously forced her to drink the lubrication oils from Sovereign?

  
“Perhaps its better that it remain a secret for now, huh?” he asked, grinning.

  
He looked at her carefully, and then the corner of his mouth turned down in a partial frown.

  
“Without specifics,” he started. “The Reaper Blood recipe was discovered in the data of a Prothean Beacon that we stumbled upon nearly three hundred years ago. It was the first hint that we had of the Reaper Invasion.”

  
“Three hundred years, and we’re only now preparing for them?”

  
“No one could be sure that the Reapers would come back. The Wardens, a nearly forgotten relic of the past, were reintroduced as a major player in Thedosian Society in order to pass along the information from the Beacon, so that one day, if the Reapers returned, we would be able to combat indoctrination.”

  
“So these nanites, what do they do?”

  
“They are stopping the effects of indoctrination on your brain. Rebuilding and reworking the synapses of your mind, in order to keep the Reapers from invading your thoughts once more.”

  
“There’s a catch,” she said, pointing out the unnecessary.

  
“Many people do not survive the Reaper Blood,” he said. “The mixture kills nearly nine out of every ten potential recruits.”

  
Marian clutched her stomach, those odds were fairly low. It seemed she’d cheated death yet again.

  
“The nanites will begin to fail in about thirty years when their eezo cores began to shut down. We have had many attempts at a second ‘dosing’ of nanites, but as of yet, there have been no successful re-joinings. Our fears, if this war against the Reapers lasts too long, is that once the nanites die, there will be a second wave of indoctrination that we won’t be able to combat.”

  
Marian grimaced.

  
“So we need to stop this war before the nanites fail.”

  
Loghain nodded.

  
“Every single one of the Grey Wardens whose nanites have shut down in the past five years have opted for the second dosing. We do not have a single person who has risked further indoctrination. But when we do, we might have some answers.”

  
“I see.”

  
“And the dreams?”

  
“Indoctrination attempts,” Loghain said. “They have been active these past few years, but it’s also helped our teams quite a bit in locating the indoctrinated geth cells.”

  
Marian stifled a yawn.

  
Loghain frowned.

  
“I should let you get back to sleep,” he said, patting her thigh from the other side of her sheet.

  
“When will I be able to return to my ship?” she asked.

  
“In a couple days,” Loghain said. “You have some debriefings to attend and some people to meet, but as soon as that is over, you can return to the _Lothering_.”

  
Loghain stood to leave.

  
“You’ll be moved to a guest suite tomorrow morning, once the good doctor has cleared you.”  


  
“Loghain,” she said, as he reached the doorway.  


  
“Thank you for taking a chance on me.”  


  
Loghain turned to look at her.  


  
“You were worth it,” he said, then walked out of the medbay.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawke rejoins her team.

Chapter 13

Three days passed on Loghain’s cruiser before Aedan declared her healthy and fit enough to return to active duty. The second of the Cousland siblings was not, from what she could tell, a normal fixture on the Chamberlain’s ship; but Marian had learned that Aedan had been given permission to attend to his friend by his superiors when word had reached his current post. 

The Chamberlain’s cruiser, she’d learned, had been sitting in Thedosian Space since she’d been brought on board, the wardens insisting on conducting their top secret ritual as close to Thedas as possible. It had been generations since Thedas had been habitable, but it didn’t stop them from keeping their home planet in their thoughts.

They jumped the relays to meet up with her mini-fleet at the Citadel. Aedan had told her that seventy-five percent of the batarians that they’d saved from Bahak had been placed on batarian colonies or had stayed on the Citadel to help with the war effort. It was refreshing to see that their actions had influenced a change in the overall appearance of the batarians. 

As the ship made its final checks and docked with the Citadel, Marian turned to face the men and women who’d gathered near the airlock to bid her farewell. 

“I want to thank all of you for your acceptance,” she said, looking at the few men she’d met while resting on the frigate. The blond biotic, Anders, gave her a short nod as her eyes swept across the room. 

“I realize that my position right now is strange, and I hope I’ve caused no one offense by thwarting the Warden doctrines; but I promise to return, once I have served the Council, to formally surrender myself to the warden cause.”

Marian caught the beginnings of a furrowed brow on the Chamberlain’s face but turned her gaze back toward the men and women who would soon be here superiors. She didn’t mention the fact that she wasn’t sure they would be victorious in their war against the Reapers. 

“In war, victory. In peace, vigilance,” she started.

“In death, sacrifice,” the others chimed in.

She glanced around the airlock to see Loghain leaning against the doorway leading to the cockpit. A flutter rippled in her stomach. Marian had no intention of letting this man regret allowing her to join their ranks. She would fight the Reapers until she died, or until they were eradicated.

Without further pomp, Marian stepped into the airlock and allowed the decontamination process to cycle through and waited for the hatch to open. 

Though the River Dane had docked in the Warden bays, near the end of the Thedosian sector, Marian wasn’t surprised to see many of her closest friends gathered at the edge of the dock when she stepped out. They cheered and welcomed her back, as she walked toward them. Unwilling to hide her grin, she allowed her friends to see just how happy she was to be returning to duty.

Merrill was the first to break the pack and rush toward her, wrapping her arms around Marian’s waist in one of the biggest hugs she’d ever received. Marian returned the hug and calmed the weeping girl. 

“I’m alright, Merrill,” she said in hushed tones. “I’m alright.”

“When Shepard called the Lothering with the news,” she said, between sobs. “We thought you were going to the Maker.”

“I’m here now, aren’t I?” she smiled.

Looking around the group, Marian saw relief in her squad’s eyes. 

“You really think a few bad headaches would keep me away from the battles ahead?” she asked, downplaying her situation as much as possible.

She knew she might be able to hide the effects of her indoctrination from some of them, but there would be no way to hide the way she’d gripped her head in pain as the reaper Harbinger had ordered her to kill Shepard. 

Marian hid a grimace at the thought, knowing that she’d need to talk to the Major and come clean to him.

Glancing around, it was the first time that Marian noticed a few of Shepard’s squad in the mix. Garrus, Miranda, and Kasumi stood in the group, mixed in with the others. It was nice to see them showing up as well. She tried not to think about the fact that neither Cortez nor Vega had appeared to welcome her. Marian swallowed back the surprising lump in her throat and pulled away from Merrill. 

“It’s good to see the Fade couldn’t keep you,” Sebastian said. 

“You think I’d let them,” she grinned, trying to play-off her mixed emotions.

“Come on, everyone,” she said, after spending nearly half an hour talking to the gathered mass at the dock. “I’m sure we have other duties to attend to, now that I’ve returned.”

The group walked toward the elevator that would take them to the Alliance docking bays, where they had permission to dock the both human and thedosian ships from their small fleet. Just before they rounded the corner, Marian glanced back to see Loghain watching from the cockpit. She tipped her head in his direction then walked off to follow her squad.

Marian thought it would be simple to get back to her ship, to return to the Lothering and her life as a team captain, but when the group reached the alliance docks and she spotted three silver and blue Warden frigates sitting in a row between the Normandy and her own ship.

Three figures, followed by a smattering of armored team members, walked toward Marian. 

One, a human male, looked vaguely familiar. The male dwarf and female elf were not familiar to her at all, but the fact that they stood together meant they were the help that Loghain had promised her fleet before they’d even gone to the Viper system. 

Until that moment, Marian had forgotten about the Chamberlain’s promise. He hadn’t even spoken a word of it to her while she’d been in recovery.

She gritted her teeth, reminding herself to keep her mouth shut over the sudden flare of anger that had spiked in her chest.

“Captain Hawke,” the human male said, nodding toward her. “It’s good to finally meet you. I am Alistair Theirin.”

“Theirin?” she asked, unable to stop the question.

“Yes,” he said, with a coy smile. “I must admit, I never expected to be working with my brother.”

The man, who must have been the most senior of his companions, then introduced Lyna Mahariel and Duran Aeducan to Marian.

“We have been working with Spectre Shepard and Master Tethras over the past few days. Becoming familiar with the way that your partnership works.”

Marian nodded.

The younger Theirin, for he looked no older than 18, though Marian doubted he was quite so young, gave a glance around before leaning in to speak a few private words with her.

“Spectre Shepard has been apprised of the situation, though our secrets remain.”

“Thank you,” she said, giving the man a smile. “It is a relief that I will not need to explain what happened.”

Then she turned to the others. 

“I believe an afternoon of shoreleave would be appropriate while I find out what all I missed in my absence. Once I have more information, I’m sure either Shepard or myself will send out our orders.”

Thankfully, the crowd dispersed, and in her sudden solitude, Marian typed a quick message to John to see when he had a few moments. Despite whatever she told the Warden Constable, Marian had every intention of telling her partner the truth, or at least as much as she could get away with. 

An hour later, Marian was sitting in her ship, taking care of reports that had fallen by the wayside while she’d been recuperating on the River Dane. She wanted to get as much done as possible before John arrived for their conversation.

She didn’t know much about what happened during the time she’d been on TSV River Dane, but what she did know was that the Shepard had visited Petrovsky at least once while the rest had been on shore leave, judging from her inbox. Loghain had insisted that while she remained on his ship that her Omnitool be turned off. Wardens had secrets for a good reason, and had to protect themselves.

“Major Shepard has arrived, Captain,” the VI announced. 

Marian told the VI to unlock her suite doors and straightened the collar of her blouse. She’d gotten a shower since she arrived and was beginning to feel like she’d returned home.

“John, thank you for coming.”

“We’ve got a few busy days ahead of us,” he said. “I want to make sure you’re doing alright.”

“Well enough, considering,” she trailed off. Ensuring no one was standing outside the door, Marian allowed it to shut, then set her lock to no-overrides. 

“What happened to you out there?” he asked, taking the seat she’d offered him.

“I’m sure you’ve been able to guess,” she said, suddenly feeling embarrassed. “What with Vega and Cortez’s reports.”

“You were being indoctrinated,” he said, slowly.

Marian nodded. 

“You seem well enough now.”

“There are some secrets that I am not allowed to give out. Classified by the highest authorities in Thedosian government, but I would like to tell you enough so that you believe that I am alright.”

John nodded, incredulously.

“First, I want to tell you something that may or may not influence how our partnership continues. If you do not wish to continue, I will go to the Council and resign, no questions asked or pleading. Except perhaps that you would continue the work with my crew. Alfstanna would take my place until a suitable replacement could be found, but it would allow you to continue preparing for the Reapers.”

“Don’t count yourself out yet, Marian,” he replied, his voice soft.

Marian nodded.

“Those few minutes that I spent in the presence of Object Rho were enough for the Reapers to begin accessing my mind. Though I was fighting it, I believe that had Vega not knocked me unconscious, I would have done as the Reapers asked.”

“What was that,” he asked, leaning forward in his chair.

“They wanted me to take you out of the equation.”

John frowned.

“What that says to me,” she continued, trying not to give him a moment to worry. “Is that the Reapers see you as a threat, something that can stop them.”

“So, how did you break the indoctrination? As far as I know, there’s no way to do that. You could be luring me to a false sense of security right now.”

“Why would the Reapers allow me to say those things? You see, in order to save my life, and save the fleet, I was presented with two choices. One was to allow my Mr. Guerrin to grant me death. While it may seem barbaric to the Alliance ways, my death would save me from further indoctrination. It was a viable option and one I had thought of well before I was given the second choice.”

He frowned at her. 

“I would do anything to protect the fleet, and protect my loved ones.”

Marian sighed, and looked down at her hands. 

“The other choice I was given, which by my mere presence proves which way I decided… I’ve been made a Grey Warden. And with that information, you are being granted information that no one outside the order knows.”

“The Wardens know how to stop the indoctrination then?”

Marian nodded.

“In a way, they do.”

“One of your secrets,” he commented.

She nodded once more.

“What I had to go through to become a Grey Warden stopped the Reapers’ effects on my mind. It has, essentially, blocked their ability to control my actions. I can sense them, and they can sense me, but they are not able to access my mind any longer.”

Marian allowed silence to settle over them for a moment.

“So my question is this. Do you trust me enough to keep me around? Or would you rather see me as far from you as possible?”

John settled into the seat and looked her over carefully. His stoic expression made Marian itch, wanting to know what he was thinking. She was offering this man her entire career on a platter, and she had no way of knowing what he would choose.

As the seconds ticked by, Marian began to resign herself to saying goodbye to the Lothering, to handing her ship over to someone, possibly even one of the three wardens that Loghain had sent to her, Mahariel, Aeducan or Theirin. The two men and one female were not only wardens but Spectres in their own rights. John coughed lightly, grabbing her attention, and turned his eyes on her.

“I’ve seen people fight indoctrination before. I’ve seen powerful biotics, matriarchs, even spectres struggle against the Reaper’s hold. They were doomed from the moment I met them, too far gone, despite their attempts at breaking free, to have even the most basic of conversations without the effects of the Reaper control showing through. You are as sane and easy to follow as you’ve always been. Whether the Reapers are getting better at hiding their work, or you weren’t indoctrinated long enough for them to truly take hold of you, I guess I can’t be sure.”

Marian felt her heart clench in her chest. This was it.

“What about Balak?” 

“I don’t trust him, but while he does what we ask, I’m willing to allow him his freedom. I think it would be a mistake to let you leave the fleet.”

“Keep your enemies close,” she asked.

“In a way. If you are truly cured, however the Wardens did it, I would be a fool to allow you to leave. If you are not, what better way to keep an eye on you than with the support of my most trusted and capable soldiers beside me?”

Marian nodded.

“I understand,” she said, feeling a bit wistful, ashamed, and resolved all at the same time. “I would probably do the same, knowing what you know now.”

A pause brought a blanket of silence between them. 

“So, you’ll allow me to stay with the fleet?”

“Yes,” he said, sitting up. “I’ve had to deal with your men alone for the past few days. It’s been terrible.”

Marian grinned.

“So, have you found out anything from Petrovsky?”

“We have a tentative plan,” John said, with a nod. “But nothing set in stone quite yet, we need to find the codes that will give us the Chronos station’s positioning. And right now there are other things to look into.”

“Like?”

“Hackett sent word, another priority message. There are some archives on Mars that might be of use to us. I sent Alenko and Williams ahead, but I haven’t heard back from them yet.”

“Aren’t the archives what introduced your people to the Relays in the first place?”

“The teams have spent years translating the archives, but not everything found has made sense. It seems they want to use the cipher in my brain to see if I can pinpoint anything that will help.”

“You think that will work?”

“It’s helped every other time I’ve come up against a prothean artifact,” he shrugged.

“How long from the relay to Mars?” she asked.

“A few hours at most. I sent them out before you arrived. Alenko and Williams know enough about our mission that they can start getting archives together that I should be able to use. I didn’t want to wait on Hackett’s orders for too long.”

Marian nodded. 

“Besides, the last time Hackett gave us orders, we ended up with an indoctrinated fleet leader and an entire colony to save.”

“So, when do we head out, Major?” she asked, leaning forward. Just the hint of something productive to do sent her adrenaline racing through her body.

“Within the next two hours. We have a few last minute maintenance issues to deal with. I don’t think we need all seven ships to be on Mars, to be honest. I’ll just take the Normandy and I can take care of things from there. See what ALenko and Williams have found and bring them up to speed.”

“Are you sure?” Marian asked, a little surprised to the feelings of hurt that bubbled in her chest. 

“It’s just the archives,” John replied. “If you don’t hear from us in 24 hours, assume we’re in trouble.”

“I can do that.”

“Besides, I’m sure we have some outstanding missions from the Council to deal with.”

“Don’t your people have a saying about a sacrificial lamb?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

John simply shrugged.

“Any word on Aria,” she started, unable to stop the question in her voice.

John smirked at Marian. 

“Why don’t we save that story for another time,” he said, standing up. 

“Very well,” Marian conceded. “But I’m going to hold you to that story when we’re done with all this.”

Shepard grinned, and Marian typed her authorization to unlock the door before walking John to the elevator and escorting him to the airlock. She could easily have allowed the man free reign on her ship, he had afterall come up on his own, but Marian felt the need to walk around a bit and get herself situated on her ship once more.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Four hours later, Marian had eaten her Warden’s share of lunch as well as having wished the Normandy well on its journey to Mars. She’d grumbled lightheartedly at John for leaving her to deal with the Council; but considering he’d covered for her, Marian was happy to return the favor and appear in the chambers for the summons.

Dressed in her black suit, Marian strode purposefully through the halls and into the elevator that led to the high-rise loft in which the council insisted she meet with them.

This time, rather than insisting Varric go with her, Marian went on her own. It was likely that the Council had some classified information to hand down and it wouldn’t be proper for her XO, with his information broker status, to be in the room as well. 

Councilwoman Trevos announced the beginning of the meeting and Marian glanced around the room. It wasn’t surprising that the asari councilor was the unofficial leader, she had centuries of experience over the others, even if they combined their decades together. Trevos, as long as the current council remained in power, could remain councilwoman for another four hundred years.

“Thank you for coming, Warden,” she said, tipping her head slightly.

Marian fought not to show any emotion. It was only a little shocking that the Council knew about her new status. While it was supposed to be kept relatively secret, they were the Council and had privileges the like of which Marian could only guess at.

“Councilor Trevos,” Marian nodded. “Spectre Shepard mentioned that you’d requested to see me.”

“We wanted to thank you personally for the work you did in the Viper Nebula.”

This time she didn’t stop the shock that was sure to have crossed her features.

“While we do not approve of the batarians’ past actions, the act of saving their colony by a council-backed fleet has given the council some pull with the Hegemony. Balak, in exchange for temporary immunity, has been quite helpful in conducting business from our channels to the Batarian Officials.”

“You trust Balak with this task?” Marian asked, when the asari paused.

“He is being given an opportunity that he knows better than to waste,” Valern replied.

“I do have a question, if I may,” Marian asked.

Trevos and Sparatus glanced at each other before Trevos nodded.

“With the Reapers appearance in the Bahak System, what is being done in order to slow them down? The Relay might have slowed the invasion down, but it hasn’t stopped the threat.”

Trevos grinned and Marian noted that Dumar had given her a nod. They had been expecting this question.

“I’m sure by now that you’ve heard stories of Admiral Shepard’s work with the Geth.”

Marian nodded, she’d even met Legion briefly during her stay on Normandy. It had been disconcerting at first that the Geth were divided, but good to learn that they weren’t completely evil beings.”

“In an effort to encourage cooperation, a geth fleet and a quarian fleet have been asked to monitor the space between the Bahak Relay and the other nearby systems. Tali’zorah vas Normandy has been instrumental in her work, and as such as been placed in charge of this fleet.”

“You are sure to understand our reasoning, when we admit to having heard whispers about quarian plans to retake Rannoch. Besides, Tali’zorah vas Normandy’s willingness to explore a partnership with the geth put her in an excellent position to lead the cause.”

“A war between the geth and quarians would be disastrous at this time,” Valern replied.

“And you really think this alliance will work?” she asked.

“Whether or not it does, we have a fleet patrolling the area, and should anything happen, Tali’zorah is to report to us immediately.”

Marian kept her mouth shut, unwilling to go any further down this line. Sure the quarians and geth were working together today but that didn’t mean that tomorrow they’d remember their promise and try to hash things out again. Besides, the geth had been turned by the reapers before. She made a mental note to check up on Tali herself later. 

“Is there anything you have in mind for our next assignment?” Marian asked. “Or would you like us to return to Kite’s Nest for more training?”

“We’ve been told that the Alliance and your company has a few things for you to take care of. Your training seems to be going well. The work your teams have been doing show remarkable progress. For now, you can take care of any outstanding missions that we have kept you from.”

Marian nodded.

“We will keep in touch.”

Another nod and the platform descended back to the ground level..

As she walked down the hall, her Omni-tool buzzed with a message from Ambassador Dumar. She was being commanded to meet in his office in an hour. 

Knowing it would take less than fifteen minutes to make it down to the Councilor’s chambers, Marian decided on a quick detour to the Presidium for a meal. She hadn’t realized she was hungry again until she’d found herself standing on the podium in front of the council. She was going to need to work out a deal with the ship’s cook in order to ensure enough food for her newly enlarged appetite. The nanites needed more energy than the eezo cores would provide, and the more food she inhaled the more energy they had to work with. 

She settled down at a table, having placed an order at the counter and waited for her food. 

“Captain Hawke,” a familiar voice called out in greeting. 

Marian turned to see Admiral Anderson walking toward her. She’d met the man a couple times, mostly during QEC chats on the Normandy; but they’d met face to face once before.

“Please have a seat, sir,” she said, hoping she’d used the correct human term. “I was just stopping for a quick snack.”

The Admiral took a seat at her table graciously.

“I’m surprised to see you still on the Citadel,” he said. “I thought you’d be joining Shepard on Mars.”

“Shepard thought it would be better if I stayed here and spoke with the Council,” she said, giving the asari waitress who’d dropped off her plate a quick nod of thanks.

“Elfroot fries?” she offered the man, tipping the container in his direction.

At one time, elfroot had been prized for its healing abilities; but Marian guessed that whatever health virtues the starchy root had had been fried out by whatever oil this particular restaurant was using. And no, she had no desire to find out what source of fat the Asari used to make the fries so delicious.

The Admiral waved his hand, declining her offer, then leaned on his elbows to watch her eat. 

“I have a bit of a mission for you and your team, since Shepard is busy,” he said. The Admiral spoke in low tones; but not low enough for people to attempt to eavesdrop, a cunning choice considering where they were.

“Feel free to forward me the details, sir. I’m sure we can work something out.”

“I would feel better if it was taken care of sooner rather than later,” he said.  
“Before he returns, sir?”

“Perhaps I should meet you on the shuttle,” he said glancing around.

Marian checked her omni-tool, twenty minutes before she needed to meet with Dumar.

“Let’s take a walk,” she said, suddenly losing what remained of her appetite.

Anderson stood and took her tray, pulling out her chair enough to help her out. A gentlemanly thing to do.

She grinned and then led the way down some steps to a path that led down to the water. It was probably against Citadel regulations to tread off the stone covered paths, but the imported dirt in the small arboretum was worn enough to prove that she hadn’t been the first to come down her.

“What’s wrong, Admiral?”

“Please, call me David, or Anderson,” he said.

Marian nodded.

“There’s a ruin on Eden Prime,” he continued, once out of earshot of many of the Presidium visitors. “The colony there has always been rich with prothean artifacts, but we’ve come across something that signifies that it might be more than just an artifact.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. 

“It won’t remain secret for long, if Udina has any say in the matter; but I want you and your team to go to Eden Prime and retrieve it for me, without alerting anyone else to your mission.”

“Why are you concerned about your Councilor?”

“He’s always been a pain in the ass, Chancellor; but there’s something he’s keeping from me, and it doesn’t sit well.”

Marian nodded.

“I have a feeling that Shepard will be tied up with the archives for far too long. There is no time to wait for him. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this information was already leaked out there.”

“We’ll leave right away then,” she said, beginning to turn toward the embassies. “I’ll take my people to discretely collect this artifact.”

Anderson nodded. 

Just before Marian walked away, she turned back around to speak to the Admiral.

“There’s no chance it’s going to fry my brain like your last artifact did to John, is there?”

“I don’t believe so,” Anderson replied, with a grin. “But it’s important to also gather whatever information you can from the scientists that are working on the project. From the reports they’ve sent, I am fairly certain you’ll need all the data they’ve gathered to help discern this artifact’s usefulness.”

Marian nodded. 

“Preliminary reports suggest that Shepard’s cipher may be important. But we may not be able to wait for him to finish his work on Mars.”

She nodded again and felt the buzzer on her omni-tool go off, reminding her of her appointment with the Councilor.

“Unfortunately, David, I need to get going. I am due at Councilor Dumar’s office in a few minutes.”

“Let me walk you back to the Councilor’s offices then,” he said, waving his hand before. “It’s about time that I return to Udina’s office as well.”

Marian allowed the older man to escort her through the Presidium. They chatted amiably about everything and anything outside of war and the upcoming battles. Marian knew they didn’t need to dwell on the inevitable, and the less talk about the Reapers, the better. At least, for the moment.

“Thank you for your company,” she said, leaving the Alliance Admiral at the door.

“Thank you for allowing me to intrude on your downtime,” Anderson grinned.

She walked through the door to see an already annoyed Ambassador Bran pacing the room.

“You’re late,” he said.

Marian glanced at the clock on her omni-tool. 

“I’m a minute early.”

“You’re late,” he repeated.

“Is the Councilor ready?” she asked.

The red-headed politician rolled his eyes and hit the button to open the doors to Dumar’s private office.

“Thank you,” she said, and stepped through the doors.

Councilor Dumar stood from his seat and walked around the desk to greet Marian. 

“It’s good to see you, Captain Hawke,” he said. “Councilor Trevos was correct in her assessment that you would have priorities from the Thedas Military to deal with.”

“Councilor Dumar, you know very well that I’m a private citizen. What is going on?” she asked. 

The balding man, who looked tired and withdrawn, hit a button on his desk and spoke to Bran.

“Bring him in,” he said.

Marian turned to see the doors open to reveal Bran, who was escorting a large dark-skinned male into the room. The man’s white braided hair lay against his lilac-toned scalp in sharp contrast. His eyes were pointed in annoyance but she could see that they gathered a ton of information in their periphery.

He looked almost Qunari in his appearance, but the lack of horns threw her.

“The Arishok,” Bran announced, then left the room like a ghost.

A memory flooded her mind of a news report l nearly a decade earlier. She’d still been in school when the Qunari attacked the colony of Kirkwall on Hissbasit in the Qunjat system of their ancestors. 

Marian had seen images of the large, horned, fleet leader in one-on-one combat, some sort of ancient honor ritual. The leader had been killed by the hand of one of the Thedosian commanders. 

The man before her must have taken the older man’s position within the fleet.

Marian bowed her head, not having much experience with the Qunari, she wasn’t sure how to greet one properly. 

“The Arishok has a request of the Thedosian councilor, and I’m placing you in charge of resolving his query.”

Dumar was being intentionally vague and Marian was bubbling with nerves. There were Thedosian fleets, leaders that could help the Arishok; but there was only one reason why the Councilor would chose her to aid the Qunari.

“How can I help you?” she asked, turning to look at the man.

“We wish to learn about the Reapers,” he said simply. 

“I’ve offered your ship as a place for the Arishok to learn as much as he wishes about the Reapers and the threat they pose.”

“My ship?” she asked, her mind racing.

“You are at the forefront of the war, whether or not you intended to be. It will be the best place for the Arishok to learn about the Reapers.”

“I command a privately-owned frigate,” she said to the Councilor. “Not a diplomatic ship or a battlecruiser.”

“I am Arishok,” the man said. “I embody the strength of the Qunari people. Would it not be prudent to watch this threat from the best position available?”

“I simply meant ,”

“I expect nothing less,” the qunari said. “My place is on your ship, evaluating the dangers and evaluating your ability to handle the threat.”

Marian could not stop a blush from forming, embarrassed and unsure at the whole process.

“Very well,” she said, swallowing her bruised pride. “If you are ready to leave, meet me at docking bay B-14 in an hour.”

The Arishok nodded.

“There are a few errands I need to complete before we can leave on our next assignment. I trust you can find your own way.”

He gave her another nod and Marian turned to leave, knowing she needed to warn Varric of their guest. She wasn’t sure about taking the Lothering to the Exodus Cluster, about betraying the Thedosian Councilor by going on a mission for the Alliance Admiral; but Dumar and Bran’s objections would have to wait. Besides, she had a Qunari diplomat to make room for and a boss to inform.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marian and her new Warden companions face off against Cerberus on Eden Prime.

Exactly an hour later, Marian found herself strolling toward the docking bay. She’d already spoken to the three wardens that Loghain had insisted on joining their growing fleet and it had been decided that Wardens Theirin and Mahariel would be accompanying the Lothering to Eden Prime. The Arishok stood awkwardly at the base of the stairwell leading toward the airlock with two footlockers stacked beside him.

“I apologize for your wait, serah,” she said. “I had hoped to return before you arrived.”

The Arishok simply nodded.

She glanced at the ship’s airlock to see Varric and Fenris walking down the steps.

“ _Arishokost. Maaras shokra. Anaan esaam Qun_ ,” Fenris said, as he stopped before them.

Marian fought not to grin, insisting Fenris come to greet the Arishok had been a good idea.

“The Qun from an elf?” the Arishok answered.

Fenris only nodded as they walked toward Hawke and the Arishok.

“The Arishok will be staying in the starboard suite,” she said, in the silence that followed.

For once, Marian was thankful that there was a room reserved for visiting investors and members of the board. She made a mental note that she still needed to apprise Teagan of the addition to her crew.

“Please give him as much of a tour as he is allowed while his things are being taken to his rooms.”

“Of course, Captain,” Fenris said, giving her a slight bow.

When the two men had walked on, Varric snapped his fingers and two specialists appeared at the airlock to take the footlockers to the rooms.

“Have you heard from Major Shepard?” she asked, following the soldiers into the ship.

“He expects to be on location for another forty-eight hours or so.”

“And the mission from Anderson?”

“Major Shepard says that you are welcome to take care of things as necessary.”

Marian released a breath, relief flooding through her body. It was one thing for John to trust her to go with him on a mission, another thing entirely for him to allow her to split off on her own.

“Then we’ll take the Lothering and two ofLoghain’s Wardens along. They’ll be meeting us at the rendezvous.”

If Anderson was correct in his assumptions, that Udina was dirty, she didn’t want to alert the world that they were going on a secret mission by having everyone leave the Citadel at the same time.

“Very well,” Varric replied. “And the qunari?”

“Will come along,” she said.

Marian turned to look at her XO carefully.

“Find someone from our available personnel with prothean knowledge. I’d say we try to find where Dr. T’soni was, but there’s not enough time. This stays quiet, you understand me?”

Varric’s eyes glimmered with the knowledge of a secret for just a moment.

“I have the perfect person,” he said, then bowed his head slightly in her direction.

“How long before we’re ready to ship out?”

“Half an hour, tops,” he said. “We have a few processes to finish up with Citadel Control before we can embark on our journey.”

“Give the order to prepare the ship. We leave at SGT 1700” she said, then headed up to her cabin.

They arrived in the Exodus Cluster in two consecutive relay jumps and including the FLT flight outside of the jumps made it to Eden Prime in just under an hour.

“Captain Hawke,” Bethany called out on the PA, as Marian made her way to the shuttle bay with her Field Medic and prothean expert, Cailan, Fenris Leto, a trained vanguard, and the Arishok.

“Flight?” she acknowledged.

“There are several Cerberus shuttles in the area. I would hazard a guess that they’ve got a frigate or something out here.”

“Andraste’s tits,” Marian muttered under her breath. It seemed that Anderson’s concerns for immediate retrieval had been completely valid.

“Keep the teams on alert,” she ordered. “Have Varric order the Wardens to rendezvous at my drop off position. We’ll take on whatever resistance we find. You keep our teams safe.”

“Aye, Captain,” Bethany replied.

“Cerberus, the human terrorists?” the Arishok asked.

“Yes,” Marian replied. “I hope you are prepared for some fighting.”

“I am always prepared, Hawke,” he replied.

They boarded the shuttle and piloted it out of the bay. It took ten minutes for the pilot to get them to the drop zone, and Marian secured an extra heat sink into the packet of her new battle armor.

The doors slid open and Marian and her team dropped onto the utopian planet.

“Area clear,” she said, making a sweep of the drop zone. “Keep alert.”

They walked through a nearby building; set up like living quarters, Marian wasn’t completely surprised to see it devoid of civilians or any alliance members. If Cerberus had been here, they’d either rounded them up or outright killed the locals. She grimaced.

“See if you can find anything,” she said to the team. Cailan and Fenris did a sweep of the building, Fenris announced that he’d found something about a resistance force. It seemed like Cerberus had been here for at least twelve hours. Anderson’s intel was slow.

“Send the info up to Varric, if the team can locate the Resistance members maybe we can get them out of here.”

Fenris nodded.

Other than that, the domicile was clear, and they went out into the next opening.

“That’s a prothean stasis pod,” Commissioner Cailan said, pointing out onto an elevator fifty yards away.

“You think that’s what Anderson sent us out here for?”

Marian shrugged.

“Your guess is as good as mine. The Admiral was rather meager with his facts.”

She sent Cailan to the pod while the three of them stood guard. No signs of Cerberus yet, but that didn’t mean they weren’t headed straight for them.

“Captain,” Cailan called out. “The stasis pod is still active. There’s a live prothean inside!”

Marian felt her stomach twist in a knot. This was definitely what the Alliance had found, and now Cerberus was after it.

Two shuttles flew overhead, one marked with the familiar Warden colors, the other was marked by the familiar white, yellow, and black of Cerberus.

“Incoming,” she shouted.

The team scrambled.

“Protect this pod at all costs,” she said, aiming her assault rifle in the Cerberus shuttle’s direction. How she wished for a missile launcher at that point.

The next few minutes passed in a blur as Warden Mahariel and her team helped them take down three shuttles worth of Cerberus cronies that landed just after she arrived. Marian was beginning to wonder where they all came from when a lag in the fighting occurred.

“Warden Theirin should arrive shortly,” Lyna said, clipping her SMG to her armor, as she walked toward them. “We weren’t expecting such a large Cerberus presence.”

“We‘ve acquired what we think was their target,” Marian replied.

“We can’t leave yet,” Cailan interrupted. “If we want this prothean alive, we need the readiness signal and the command code for the pod. It’s probably what kept Cerberus from taking it in the first place.”

“How do we find that?”

“Check every terminal out here. There should be some information that the teams have found. Maybe we can piece it together.”

Marian nodded.

“Cailan, you’re with me. Warden Mahariel, do you mind keeping an eye out for Cerberus and Spectre Theirin, with your squad?”

“Not at all, Captain,” Lyna replied.

“Hold this position at all costs. We’ll be back as soon as possible”

“What do you require?” the Arishok asked, surprising Marian with his question.

For a moment, Marian wondered what the best action plan entailed.

“I might need back up, should Cerberus try to stop us from gathering the intel. You and Fenris are with me as well.”

Lyna put her finger to her ear for a moment and nodded.

“Alistair’s ETA is 50 seconds,” she said.

“Let’s go then. If you need help, radio me.”

The Grey Warden nodded, her team fanning out around the elevator’s perimeter.

Marian led the way through the buildings, ordering Fenris and Cailan to gather as much information as possible. Any intel that looked like it could help was downloaded into omni-tools and data-sticks.

A shuttle flew overhead and Marian could hear Lyna calling out orders to the team over the comms.

They cleared another set of buildings, finding information on the local resistance. The intel was helpful for the colonists, but not helpful at all for her current mission. The next set of buildings opened up to a troop of Cerberus infiltrators and engineers armed with turrets. Marian gave the command and her team quickly dispatched their enemies with little fuss.

Exiting out the back of a nearby building, Marian found a dead solider. The first of his kind in this small village. Her instincts called out a warning, and she put her team on alert. Marian went up a nearby ladder first and when the doors slid open, her gut wrenched.

The sensation was similar to when Merrill would use her biotics to heal one of her wounds and Marian looked around the small command center.

“There’s something here,” she shouted. “I don’t know what, but Cailan get your ass up here.”

In less than ten seconds, the field medic had scrabbled up the ladder.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she said, reaching out her hand toward the terminal. “Whatever it is, my Warden abilities are screaming at me.”

A flash of light momentarily blinded Marian and an image pulled her into a dream, like stepping into the Fade. She’d been there only once before when her sister had inadvertently pulled her into the Fade during a nightmare, but the feeling was similar enough.

A prothean shouted at another, and activated a nearby pod. She managed to glimpse at the first couple symbols, but the rest faded out before she could see it.

Within seconds the vision cleared and Marian found herself back in the office with her team.

“I need both Wardens at my location immediately,” she said into her radio. “Leave your squads and come to my position.”

She turned to her companions.

“Make sure the way is clear for them. They might be able to help.”

As quickly as she could, Marian pulled up an application on her omni-tool and sketched a drawing of the order of the symbols she’d seen.

A few minutes later, Marian heard fighting break out down below her and she readied her assault rifle just in case Cerberus broke through. Thankfully it was Lyna she saw climbing the ladder toward the room.

“Do you feel that?” she asked, as Alistair climbed in after his partner.

“It’s like a Reaper signal,” Lyna said, taking a careful step forward.

“I need you to concentrate on the vision. If what we experience is similar there should be a code that is entered into a pod. This is where we’ll find it.”

Lyna nodded and took another step forward. Her body went rigid and Alistair took a step forward to steady the elf, but Marian held out her hand to stop him. They might only get one shot at the code, and if Alistair wasted his chance at information gathering, they might lose the prothean being.

At her side, Lyna slumped slightly as she came out of the trance and Marian flipped the tool’s screen so Lyna could see it.

“Do you have anything to add to this?” she asked.

Lyna quickly drew out a few symbols.

She then turned it to Alistair, and asked him to take a good look before stepping further into the room.

“Memorized yet?”

“Just about,” he said.

“Go in and ensure that we have the pattern right.”

Alistair nodded and stepped fully into the room, his body going rigid just as Lyna’s had. Thirty seconds passed and Alistair stumbled back.

“What a rush,” he said.

Marian shook her head and showed Alistair the screen. He quickly edited the document, removing a symbol near the beginning and switching two symbols near the end.

“That should do it,” he said.

“Let’s get back then,” she said.

They climbed the ladder and met up with her team.

“We found another station you might want to check out,” one of Alistair’s team members advised.

Ten minutes later, Marian and the rest of the Thedosians were fighting a shuttle of Cerberus engineers and infiltrators as they made their way back to the dig site.

“Marian,” Alistair called out, from one of the rooms within the living quarters of a pre-fab building.

Marian walked over to see Alistair looking at an open terminal.

The screen advertized a colony on Horizon claiming to be taking refugees.

“Sanctuary?” she asked, looking at the blond man.

“I’ve never heard of it before,” he said. “Want me to check up on it?”

Marian nodded.

“Get as much info on it as you can before we leave. Then you can be in charge of finding out its legitimacy. I’m sure the Council would have made us aware of this, if it was their project. And if it’s not,” she trailed off.

Alistair hacked into the terminal’s system within a few moments and began downloading data.

Glancing out the door, Marian watched as the Arishok and Fenris stood guard. Both men were rather alike, stoic but detail-oriented. She was surprised to see how well the qunari adapted himself against various enemies. The muscular giant had barely broken a sweat as she’d called out targets on the field. Perhaps it wasn’t going to be quite such a burden to escort the man around the galaxy.

“Got the data,” Alistair called out, breaking her concentration.

“Let’s get back to the pod then,” she said.

“We’ve got three bogies inbound,” one of the wardens’ squad members called out.

“Alright team; let’s get back to the pod.”

Fenris and Aedan took point as they raced through the buildings on their way back to the pod. When they reached the clearing, Marian connected with the Lothering’s radio to call a shuttle back down to them. All the intel had been gathered and they needed to get off the colony before the Illusive Man dropped YMIR mechs on them.

“ETA thirty minutes,” Bethany radioed in. “We’ve been dealing with a few Cerberus cruisers up here.”

Marian relayed the news and Lyna offered up her shuttle in the meantime.

“I’ll call my ship in from the fighting,” she said. “We’ll get out of here in ten.”

Marian belayed her order to Bethany, ensuring that they had a way off the planet, and that she needed to concentrate on Cerberus.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team loses contact with the Citadel

An hour later, Marian found herself on Calenhad’s Bane, Warden Mahariel’s frigate, with her team and the prothean stasis pod as they raced toward the relay. The Lothering was going to meet them after they’d shaken the Cerberus teams or eliminated them, whichever came first. Engaging in battle at the Relay was a fatal mistake and they’d all heard enough stories to keep from going near the large eezo-powered stations while engaging in a fire fight.

Her team had made it away from Eden Prime without injury and with a potential font of information, as long as they managed to open the pod successfully. Instead of doing it planetside, with the amount of Cerberus teams in the system and the fact that Shepard might be the only one who could understand the prothean if it came out alive, they weren’t going to touch the pod without full approval of the commanding officers and Marian was not about to give that.

Lyna escorted Marian and her squad to the debriefing office on the crew deck of her frigate. 

“I don’t want anyone messing with that pod,” she said, turning to look at Alistair. “The prothean in that thing could do wonders. I will not lose this opportunity.”

“He could also be useless,” Warden Alistair replied.

“You may be right, he may also be the most notorious serial killer of his time; but until we know what he or she is, no one should have access to the pod.”

“I agree,” Lyna said, coming up behind them.

“Warden Mahariel,” Marian said, saluting the woman whose ship she was now housed on. She’d felt the woman’s approach in her mind as her nanites reacted with the nanites within Mahariel’s body. Marian was still getting used to the sensation, but it was comforting that the other two wardens felt the same thing.

“We’ve got a series of jumps coming up that should get the Cerberus troops nice and confused,” Lyna said. “Then we can head back to the Citadel with the cargo.”

“In the meantime,” Alistair said, waving around a datapad, “I’ve got the Sanctuary data to sort through.” The blond nodded toward the other Grey Wardens, and headed down the hall to the starboard obs deck. Marian guessed that the two ships were close enough in design that Alistair knew there the terminals were.

“Are you hungry?” Lyna asked when Alistair disappeared into the observation deck.

“Enough to eat a charging griffon if they still existed,” she grinned at her fellow warden.

Lyna laughed and pointed Marian in the direction of the mess hall.

While it was the middle of the night, Marian realized that she hadn’t eaten anything since the elfroot fries nearly 16 hours prior. Perhaps it wasn’t a bad idea to eat something.

“I’ve assigned a few men to guard the pod in the shuttle bay,” Lyna said, rifling around in the cabinets of the galley. “Senior Warden Tabris and Vanguard Kylon will keep the pod secure until we meet up with Shepard.”

“I appreciate it,” Marian said.

Lyna dropped a bag of mystery vegetables on the counter along with a block of processed cheese and what looked like a sausage.

“We’ll have a feast,” she said, pulling out a knife to slice the sausage. 

Marian took a seat and watched as she prepared the smorgasbord of food.

“So, Warden Mahariel, how did you join the Warden Ranks,” she asked, lightheartedly.

“I joined up during a recruitment spree ,” she said. “I was a kid, barely 18, and had no prospects. Living on a farming colony, helping the corporations get rich while my family broke our backs. I hated every minute of it; but we weren’t rich enough to send me to a university or one of the specialized tech schools. When the then Constable of the Grey, Duncan Rivain, appeared at the colony, looking for recruits, I went through the physical and mental examinations. I thought there had to be something better out there for me and my family than farming.”

Marian took the plate that Lyna handed her and picked up a piece of the preserved sausage and ate heartily as Lyna continued her story.

“A month went by as Duncan evaluated all the potential recruits. I thought for sure my chances were next to zero. A thousand kids signed up for the testing,” she waved her hand. 

“Then the Constable returned with his list of acceptable candidates. He had chosen 75 recruits for the next graduating class.

“The entire clan showed up to hear the list being read, only I made the cut out of the hundred elven colonists that had gone through the recruitment process.”

“Commander,” the flight prefect called out over the PA. “We’re coming up on the Citadel. ETA 30 minutes. There’s something not right.”

“Not right, Mac Tir?” 

“I’m not reading any signals from our ships. The fleet doesn’t seem to be docked on the station. I’ve been sending out hails with no response.”

“That is strange,” Lyna said, standing. Marian got up as well, looking to follow her. 

“Ma’am, there’s no response from the Citadel Tower either.”

“Try again, Mac Tir,” Lyna ordered.

Marian and Lyna walked up a staircase and worked their way toward the cockpit.

“Still no response, ma’am.”

“See if you can reach the Lothering. Everyone needs to be on high alert.”

“Acknowledged, ma’am.”

“Alistair,” Lyna called out over her radio. “See if you can reach your ship. It looks like we may have trouble at the Citadel.”

The radio was silent as they stepped onto the command deck and headed up to the cockpit on the uppermost deck.

“No sign of them yet, ma’am, but the Lothering may be in transition. Radio blackout due to the relays can last upwards of about five minutes.”

“Of course,” Lyna said, crossing the deck. 

Marian glanced around to see some of the technicians looking around, with worry in their eyes.

“Activate stealth drives,” Lyna ordered. “We’ll loop around the long way and scout the area.”

They stepped into the helm and watched as the co-pilot keyed in orders for the stealth systems.

“Stealth systems engaged,” she said. 

“Any sign yet of the fleet?”

“No, Captain. No response from the Citadel either. I’m attempting to reach Mars though. Perhaps a direct contact with Shepard and his teams will give us more information.”

“Do it,” Lyna ordered.

“This is TSV Dales attempting to reach TSV Denerim, please come back.”

Lyna put her finger to her ear. Marian guessed that she was listening in to a report from Alistair’s ship. 

“Have your ship activate stealth,” Lyna said, over the comm. system. “Keep attempting to reach the Lothering. We’re working on communications with Mars.”

The helm was silent as Anora waited for some sort of reply from the FTL comms after another attempt to establish chat with the Sol system. Anora reached forward and keyed a code into the terminal and the radio filled the cockpit.

“’Pard is just finishing up at the archives. Can I help you with something?” Marian recognized the voice as Kaidan Alenko.

“This is flight lieutenant Mac Tir, with Warden Mahariel’s ship. We are approaching the Citadel. Communication with the Citadel control tower has been severed. Has anyone else from the fleet reported in with Major Shepard within the last few hours?”

“We have not heard from the fleet since XO Tethras announced your pending trip to Eden Prime. That was 15 hours ago, give or take.”

Anora glanced over her shoulder at Lyna.

“Are you sure that no one sent for the fleet?” Anora asked.

“Positive. We’re just gathering up a few last pieces before we head back ourselves.”

“This is Warden Mahariel,” Lyna announced. “I suggest getting back to the Serpent Nebula as soon as possible, but proceed with caution. We don’t yet know what’s waiting for us back on the Citadel.”

“Warden?” the copilot said. “I have contact with Mr. Gilmore from Captain Alfstanna’s team.”

“Patch him through. Spectre Alenko, please hold while we figure this out.”

“Cerberus has attacked the Citadel,” Gilmore said, as his voice filled the cockpit. “They’ve very nearly managed to block all communications. I was lucky to get this far.”

Cerberus. Marian grimaced. How many men did the Illusive Man have access to?

“But the Citadel is swarming with C-sec and other military,” Lyna said, speaking to Gilmore.

“Sleeper agents popped outta the walls,” Gilmore reported. “They’ve been blowing up keepers with frag grenades. I don’t know what’s going on.”

“Where are our ships?” Marian asked.

“Locked down. The bastards hit Flight Control first, I guess. We can’t do shit with our ships. Thank the Maker a few of us had weapons on us. Those on board are locked in.

“Warden Aeducan’s squad is headed for the Council and I sent Daveth to help secure C-sec. but we’re going to need help. Cerberus shuttles seem to be landing by the dozen.”

The line cut out.

“Reconnect us,” Lyna ordered.

“The radio is dead, Warden Constable,” the copilot said.

“Keep trying. We need radio contact with Gilmore if he’s helping lead any sort of resistance.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Alenko, did you get that?” Lyna asked. 

“I heard enough, Spectre Cousland. We’ll be ready to leave here in an hour.”

“Get up here fast; we’ll likely be station-side within the next twenty minutes to stave off the attacks.”

“Roger that,” Kaidan called back. “We’ll radio the ship once we arrive. Alenko out.”

“Any luck with Gilmore?” Aedan asked the co-pilot.

The girl shook her head.

“I’ve got the Lothering,” Anora announced.

“Set up a rendezvous. We have a battle strategy to plan. Short range radio contact only.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *note: a few lines of dialogue from DA:O  influenced the proceeding conversation. Not initially intended, but they fit the feeling. Better to disclaim than not, I suppose.

   
Marian settled into her borrowed shuttle an hour later. They’d squeezed her team and Lyna’s team into one shuttle, and the members of Alistair’s ground squad would follow in a second shuttle. The squads still on the Lothering would be dropping in a third shuttle. A multi-pronged attack would ensure that their infiltration teams would be as discrete as possible.  
   
“Tell me,” the Arishok said. “Do you intend on fighting Cerberus every time we land somewhere or will you eventually face the Reapers?”  
   
Marian started, surprised that the white-haired man had said anything; much less that he’d asked a question of her.  
   
“The Reapers have not arrived yet,” she said, turning to look at the man sitting beside her. The soldiers kept silent.  
   
“Then how do you know they are real?”  
   
“The attack on the Citadel was real. The vanguard reaper Sovereign was taken down by the fleets. We’ve also had a number of signs and messages from the Protheans relating to the Reapers. Those things combined have proven to the council that the Reapers are coming.”  
   
The Arishok frowned.  
   
“The threats relayed to Shepard, myself, and various other beings, have all been real. We’ve seen and experienced things that cannot be simply explained away.”  
   
“You are sure you aren’t just losing mental faculties?”  
   
“OF course not.”  
   
“Then why fight these human terrorists when you should focus on preparations for the Reapers?”  
   
“The terrorists are an immediate threat to the galaxy. We know we have to get rid of them if we intend on saving the civilians. Besides, every fight we have with these terrorists can be used as a training exercise. We find out something new in each battle, perhaps we learn that someone needs to more training with certain weapons, sometimes we find flaws in our battle tactics, other times we find that our situation is doomed and we need to evacuate. All of this is a learning opportunity.”  
   
“Eventually the opportunities to learn must be placed to the side.”  
   
“I agree,” she said. “But while we have the chance to prepare, I will take every occasion I can get. As soldiers it is our duty to protect the innocents. And if the Council is in danger, they are the fleet’s direct overseers. Without their aid, we lose their resources and protection.”  
   
The Arishok settled into his seat.  
   
“If you do not want to disembark,” she started, trying to give the warrior the option to back out.  
   
“Fighting is a necessity,” he grumbled. “I will face this foe.”  
   
Silence settled into the shuttle.  
   
A few minutes later, Lyna’s team was dropped off at the Zakera Wards. They were going to sweep the streets clean of Cerberus while Alistair’s team headed through Sunset Strip.  
   
The shuttle pilot then took Marian’s team and headed for the Council’s offices, near the presidium. Her second team from the Lothering was going to drop there as well. With Fenris, Cailan, and the Arishok in tow, Marian jumped out of the shuttle and ordered it back to Calenhad’s Bane. From there, the shuttle would work to help rid the skies of a few of the Cerberus ships.  
   
She ordered Cailan and the Arishok to flank the balcony’s doorway as Fenris attempted to gain radio contact with the squad leaders. Their assignments had been set up to minimize the need for radio chatter; but it would be helpful if they could get in contact with what ground teams had formed.  
   
Marian took point and eased her way into what looked to be the executor’s offices.  
   
The room looked clear, no Cerberus troops rushing through, no Keeper parts splattered against the wall.  
   
She was just about to order the team to advance when a chair began spinning on its own near the centralized table. The flicker of a tactical cloak caught her eye, and a robed salarian appeared crawling on the floor.  
   
“Councilor Valern?” she asked, putting her weapon at her said.  
   
“Captain Hawke,” Valern replied, glancing over her shoulder at her squad. “Udina is working with Cerberus. He was escorting us to a waiting shuttle. I managed to slip away but,”  
   
The sound of splintering glass filled the room as at least ten Cerberus soldiers rappelled into the room from overhead.  
   
Marian glanced back to see her team jump out of cover and begin shooting at the Cerberus troops.  
   
She reached out and pulled the Councilor down to the floor.  
   
“Stay here,” she said. “Or stick to cover. We’ll get you out of here.”  
   
Marian peered over the terminal and shot an advancing Cerberus soldier in the shoulder, causing him to stumble back a few steps.  
   
Fenris shouted and used his eezo tattoos to create a shield around his body then charged into the thick of the group. Infiltrators stumbled back with the shockwave he released. Marian used the opportunity to switch to her assault rifle and fire a few rounds at the man that had his back to her.  
   
He twisted, and Marian spotted the crack in his helmet. She fired a few shots at his head and grimaced when a red shot of blood pulsed out of the visor and the man slumped down.  
   
Cailan shouted and Marian turned to see a white and yellow uniform rushing at her. Knowing the Councilor was sitting under the terminal, Marian knew the dodging was a bad idea. She braced herself and angled her shoulder to take the brunt of the charge. She grunted with the force of the hit and stumbled back a few feet. She released an overload from her omni-tool toward the man and grinned wickedly as it hit its mark, causing the man to cry out in pain. The fizzle of his shields failing stayed fresh in her mind as Marian grabbed her pistol.  
   
The man stumbled and fell to his knees and she shot him point blank, his soft helmet doing nothing to stop the bullet.  
   
The Arishok bellowed and Marian turned to see him fighting in hand-to-hand combat against two Cerberus members. In an impressive show of ability, the kossith blocked and parried a good number of blows as the two Cerberus men attacked him. For a moment, Marian wondered why they didn’t bother with their weapons. Then she spotted the crushed rifles nearby. The Arishok had broken their Maker-damned guns.  
   
Marian felt Valern brush past her legs, his tactical cloak in place. Then the HUD of her visor caught the release of a grenade, the proximity meter flashing red. The computer calculated detonation in ten seconds.  
   
“Grenade,” she shouted, then looked down to see the crawling councilor appear.  
   
“Come on, sir,” she said, pulling him up and almost literally tossing him onto a couch nearby. She leapt in after him and covered the councilor with her body as the frag grenade went off. Her shields shimmered around her and her armor took the brunt of the damage; but she could feel the shrapnel as it melted into her armor.  
   
A fresh round of bullet fire filled the air and Marian glanced over to see Varric, Merrill, and Sebastian entering the room.  
   
“Having fun without us, Hawke?” Varric shouted.  
   
“We need to get the Councilor to safety,” she called out.  
   
Sebastian and Merrill rushed over to help her and Valern off the couch.  
   
A quick look around and Marian noted that three of the Cerberus team remained.  
   
Merrill sent out her drone, shorting shields of the enemies.  
   
“We got company,” she said.  
   
Another troop of Cerberus soldiers rushed in, this time using the far doorway.  
   
Three men fanned out from their initial entry point and attempted to drop turrets as a shielding device.  
   
The familiar shockwave of Merrill’s arsenal rocked the floor as it made its way toward the men.  
   
Sebastian shouted in anger and Marian saw him hoist a missile launcher over his shoulder.  
   
“Not yet!” Marian shouted back. “Hold that ammo until the absolute last moment.  
   
Sebastian snarled, clearly in the thick of battle, but put the large weapon back.  
   
“Anyone have an arc projector on ‘em?”  
   
“Hawke, catch,” Merrill shouted, tossing the large weapon in her direction. How Merrill had worn that beast was beyond Marian’s comprehension.  
   
She powered the heavy machinery on, while the others stood guard around the Councilor. Once this room was clear, they needed to find the others.  
   
Once it was powered up, Marian aimed the weapon at the highest concentration of Cerberus mooks.  
   
“Fenris,” she shouted.  
   
The vanguard blurred as he charged out of the fight and Marian released the trigger. Four men dropped in one synchronized movement.  
   
A black blur caught her attention and Cailan called out.  
   
“Incoming!”  
   
Hawke whipped around to see a human male dressed in all black armor, a yellow Cerberus logo on his chest, stalking toward them.  
   
“Hold it right there, shiny boy,” Varric called out, the laser pointer on his sniper rifle hitting the man square in the chest.  
   
Before Varric could shoot him, the man leapt into the air and landed directly behind her. Marian could hear the sizzle of a prepped overload in her ear.  
   
“You move and I’ll kill Captain Hawke. I may even get the Salarian before you can react.”  
   
“You won’t get off the station.”  
   
“I bet I will,” the man growled an arm’s length away.  
   
Electricity built up in the air around Marian, she could feel the hair on the back of her neck rising toward the charge.  
   
Only the rush of air alerted Marian that something else was happening at the same time.  
   
The Cerberus man flew through the room, landing face first against a nearby wall with a wheeze. Marian spun around to see the Arishok holding the hydraulic lift of one of chairs that littered the room. That large man had used the back of the chair to fling the mystery man across the room and out of range.  
   
“Get him out of here,” she said, rushing forward to grab Councilor Valern, and pressing the Salarian into the Arishok’s chest.  
   
The leader of the Qunari warriors nodded and pulled the Salarian with him toward the doorway. Marian turned and saw Varric flipping the man over with a kick of his foot.  
   
Before anyone could react, Varric loosed the trigger on his sniper rifle and the shot rang out. The man in the black armor was dead. Sniper bullet straight through the head at point blank range was not something even Krogan could regenerate through.  
   
“Dodge that, you nug-humping bastard.”  
   
“Take his tool,” Marian ordered to the gloating dwarf. “It may come in handy.”  
   
They met up with Councilor Valern and the Arishok in the next hall.  
   
“Thanks,” she said, reaching the warrior’s side. “I had no idea Kossith could sneak so well.”  
   
“I had the advantage of a distracted team,” he shrugged.  
   
“Where’d you last see the rest of the council?”  
   
“We were headed to our chambers. There’s a panic room set up,” Valern admitted.  
   
“Just like those politicians, eh Hawke,” Varric chimed in.  
   
“Not helping,” Marian said. “What’s the quickest way to get there?”  
   
“We spotted a landing pad on our way in with a shuttle prepped and ready,” Sebastian announced. “They’re probably headed there.”  
   
“How far?”  
   
“Too far,” Valern replied. “That pad is twenty floors up and the elevators are on the other end of the commons.”  
   
“Then you know where to go,” she sighed.  “Varric, see if your team can’t locate a shuttle to get up there faster. We’ll take the elevators and meet you.”  
   
Varric and his squad headed back down into the offices and Marian led the race to the elevators.  
   
The commons were still filled with civilians and Marian ordered them to leave the area.  
   
“We’ve cleared behind us,” she said. “Get to safety.”  
   
A white blur appeared and revealed a Cerberus-uniform. The tight-fitted, hooded being dodged around gunfire, just as the mystery man had in the offices. But, they could be killed, and as more of these soldiers appeared, Marian ordered them all taken down. One by one the team fought their way through the Cerberus phantoms as they ghosted in and out of view.  
   
She wasn’t sure how many they’d killed by the time they reached the elevators, but she was glad to see them dead.  
   
The ride up to the landing pad went excruciatingly slow, but while they waited, Marian had the team check their weapons and ensure fresh clips were in place.  
   
“We don’t know if we’ll face more of those phantoms or if everything will be deserted.”  
   
Cailan nodded, and the visible tattoos on Fenris’ face glowed in anticipation.  
   
When the doors finally opened, they revealed a landing pad, shuttle prepared, just as Aveline had ordered.  
   
“Hawke,” Dumar called out.  
   
“I told you that fleet had gone rogue,” Udina said. “They’re working with Cerberus.”  
   
“Why in the Maker’s name would my fleet side with the terrorists?” Marian shouted.  
   
“Why should I know? Maybe Shepard talked you into it?”  
   
“Shepard did no such thing,” a familiar voice called out.  
   
Marian spun her head around to see Spectre Alenko and his squad mates, Major Coats and LT. Williams, walking toward them. All three had weapons drawn, but not a single one was pointed in her direction.  
   
“Don’t move, Udina,” Kaidan ordered. “We found Anderson locked in the closet in your office. He told us everything about your plans and your ties to Cerberus. You handed them this station on a silver platter. But you didn’t expect our people to fight so hard for it, did you?”  
   
A gun cocked and Marian turned.  
   
Udina held a pistol to Councilor Trevos’ head.  
   
“She’ll be dead before you get a shot off.”  
   
The ricochet of a gunshot echoed in her ears and Udina fell down, bleeding from a bullet wound in his head.  
   
Marian glanced around to find out who’d shot the ambassador. She nearly burst out laughing as she spotted the open shuttle door as the C-sec shuttle hovered in the air, two hundred meters back. Varric stood in the doorway and waved back to the teams.  
   
“That nug-humper,” she muttered.  
   
A troop of C-Sec officers appeared from the elevators and Commander Bailey stepped forward.  
   
“What happened here?” he said, glancing at the dead human Councilor.  
   
“Councilor Udina met with an unfortunate accident after it was discovered that he’d given Cerberus permission to invade the Citadel.” Councilor Dumar said, stepping forward.  
   
Commander Bailey glanced around the gathered witnesses, and Marian watched as everyone agreed with the Thedosian Councilor’s assessment.  
   
“Very well,” he said. “Let’s get you back to the council’s chambers and start clearing the floor. Most of the Cerberus teams have been killed or taken into custody. Though even those men seemed to have had suicide capsules.”  
   
The C-sec officers ushered the councilors and the combined squads of Marian and Williams into the nearby shuttles.


	18. Chapter 18

Sometimes being a leader was a sacrifice, Marian thought, grimacing as she hopped around the room, attempting to pull off her boots. 

Five hours after Marian and the rest of the team had safely delivered the Council to their Chambers, Marian finally got her turn in one of Anderson’s many suites in his apartment in the Sunset Strip. She hadn’t expected to be treated to such luxury; the apartment was far larger than any place she’d stayed in within recent memory. With three bedrooms, a dining area turned billiard room, and a large den off of the room with a fully stocked bar, Marian wondered just how much of the rent was subsidized by the Alliance and if she could get a gig with the military organization.

Admiral Anderson, one of the only politicians that they had saved today with an undamaged residence, had offered up his home for Marian and the team to get cleaned up and relax. Not even Councilor Dumar’s residence had been protected from the violence.

Splitting into three teams, the nearly twenty members of their rapidly growing fleet that had been groundside during the attack were taking turns using the various bathrooms, bedrooms, and couches to catch a few minutes of relaxation. Many of them had been awake for fifty hours or more, living off of stims; and Marian knew that their combined sanity was beginning to fray. 

Tempers were on edge thanks to the lack of sleep and the amount of blood on their hands, they might be working as security officers, but today, the violence. Marian wasn’t sure if even Shepard’s team had dealt with this much carnage before.

Up until that moment, Marian had stayed in her uniform, doing what she could to help Calian and the medic that they’d borrowed from Huerta Memorial to clean the wounds of her team members and ensure that medi-gel had done its duty on those who had been more seriously injured. 

Marian shook her head clear of the memories of the civilians that lay dead on the streets and balconies of the Citadel. She did not envy the C-Sec soldiers who would be tasked with clean up of the station. 

Those members of the fleet that had been denied access to the Citadel by the Cerberus control of the flight tower, unable to leave and aid their shore party teams, were given duties to help with the clean up. 

Finally unclipping her greaves, Marian sighed in relief as the last of her armor clattered onto the floor. Mentally, Marian knew that she should be placing them gently on a soft surface to care for the pieces; but she couldn’t make herself care at the moment. She was exhausted, well and truly exhausted. Though it wasn’t much, the shower she was about to take was certainly going to help her clear her mind.

As Captain, and semi-Spectre, she had wanted to set an example and as such Marian had deemed that she would be the last in her squad to take a break. 

Marian made a note to ask Anderson for his electric and water bills for the month. She’d find a way to pay the man back for his extreme generosity, maybe Teagan would even allow the bill to be expensed, though if not, Marian was sure that she could foot the bill with her savings. 

Looking around the large bedroom, Marian saw that the floor was covered in dirt that could only be left over residue from Eden Prime and the team’s forays into the gardens of the Citadel, and she made another mental note to also hire a cleaning service for the Ambassador. She wondered, however briefly, if the man would step into the void left by Udina, or if he’d step aside for someone else to become the Councilor for Humanity.

Pulling the pants of her under armor over her hips and letting them fall down to the floor, Marian sighed in relief to see a bathroom just off to the side. She didn’t normally indulge, but the feeling of cool air on her naked body felt wonderful. A few minutes to ‘air out’.

Marian grinned, feeling silly.

She spotted a stack of civilian casual clothing piled up on the bed nearby, simple t-shirts and military-style cargo pants of varying sizes lay across the comforter. 

Someone had thought to have supplies brought over from the Lothering by the looks of it, giving them all clean clothes to wear until they returned to the ship the next morning and could get into their footlockers for personal supplies. 

Picking up the clothes she’d stripped off, Marian made the executive decision to give the ground crew a temporary shore leave while they recuperated from the long hard day of battle. Twenty-four to forty-eight hours would probably be well received, though she personally had too much paperwork and reporting to worry about to truly take a break.

Marian dropped the under-armor and under-things in an auto-wash chute against the wall. It would be cleaned and dried in ten minutes, just enough time for her to get a good scrub in. She set the timer on her omnitool, unbuckled the device and put it on the bathroom counter.

Ten minutes later Marian stepped out of the shower, the steam having fogged up the mirrors, and checked on the cleaning cycle for her under armor and delicates. 

Thankfully, both her breast band and underwear had been returned with the under armor clean and fresh through the auto-wash system. The last thing she wanted to do was to ask Admiral Anderson where her personal items had disappeared to within the man’s apartment. An awkward conversation to be had for sure. 

Marian made sure her armor was placed on the bed with the other armors and walked out of the bedroom dressed in a pair of combat pants and the black t-shirt that fit well enough. Marian was certain that she’d have to assign her men and women to spend at least some of the next few days cleaning and detailing their armor by hand. Some delay wouldn’t hurt the resilient armor; but it needed to be cleaned eventually.

She ran her fingers through her recently washed hair and made her way to the banister that opened up to the fireplace below.

While no one noticed her, Marian took a few moments to thank whatever gods existed that her men and women came out of the attack relatively unscathed.

A party seemed to be taking place in the common area as Marian heard the sound system being turned on and those gathered in the large living area below cheered.

“Captain!” Varric called out. 

Marian blushed as the group below cheered for her. Ten or so team mates held up their beer bottles or drink glasses up in her direction.

“Enjoying the Ambassador’s liquor?” she asked over the music and raised an eyebrow at the dwarf.

“We had some sent in,” Fenris noted, appearing from around the corner. “Varric gave an order not to touch any of Anderson’s personal stash.”

Marian rolled her eyes but was glad that someone had been semi-responsible and she headed down the nearby stairs. It seemed that everyone was enjoying themselves in one way or another. A bioti-ball game was on the TV in the bar, a game of Skyllian Five seemed to be occurring at the card table near the back of the apartment; and yet more danced in the kitchen to music playing from the surround-sound system as they reached for food that had been delivered.

“Isn’t it a bit soon to be celebrating,” she asked, more to herself than addressing anyone in particular.

“Lola.” 

Marian started at Vega’s voice, coming from directly behind her. The Lieutenant had snuck up behind her and spoke against the shell of her ear. She just knew that he’d be grinning, still high on the adrenaline of battle.

Marian spun around to see Vega dressed in a grey t-shirt and black cargo pants.

“You made it back in one piece,” she said, giving him a once-over and ignoring her stomach as it flipped. 

“Guilty as charged,” he said, giving her a toothy grin. “Beer?”

Marian shook her head, feeling like someone should stay sober.

“I’m fine, thanks,” she said, waving her hand dismissively.

“You sure?” he replied, eyeing her carefully. 

“I really shouldn’t. There’re things I need to take care of.”

Vega frowned.

“You’re the boss,” he said, taking a few steps back and shrugging one of his shoulders.

“If you change your mind--”

“I’ll find you,” she finished for him, promising to join James for a drink, though she was almost certain something would come up to keep her from partaking.

That was when she finally spotted the elusive John Shepard. He was leaning over a billiard table lining up a shot with the pool stick.

She made her way over to the Spectre and waited until his turn was done.

“Long time, no see, Major,” she said, catching his attention.

“Hawke,” he grinned, standing his pool stick up against the floor, almost leaning on it.

“How was Mars?” she asked. 

“Fruitful, very very fruitful.”

“We really need to sit down and talk about some of the developments,” she said. “Petrovsky is probably rotting in your brig by now and--”

“Hawke,” John said, taking a few steps up to her. “Relax a little. We’ve been going non-stop for the past few weeks. Let the crew rest up and we can talk in the morning. There’s nothing that can’t wait.”

Marian sighed, feeling like the Spectre was making light of the situation, but knowing that there was some wisdom to his words.

“I suppose you’re right.”

The wind left her sails and Marian glanced around the room.

“Besides Warden Mahariel and I already talked. We can check out the cargo tomorrow and see about a plan.”

Marian frowned.

“While you were upstairs, Lyna came by to give me a quick sitrep on what you and her team had been up to while I tracked down the information on Mars. I still want to get together with you later, but there’s nothing that Lyna said that makes me think it can’t wait.”

Relief filled her chest; at least that was one thing that had been taken care of. Marian felt ridiculous.

“What about the Prothean?” she asked, remembering the alien.

“I’ll take a look into it first thing, I promise.”

“If you don’t feel like partying,” John said, after a moment. “Claim one of the bedrooms. Anderson insists they’re soundproofed. Get a few hours of shut–eye. Spirits know I’m looking forward to crashing in a few hours.”

Marian glanced around; everyone that had been fighting today was gathered in the spacious apartment enjoying themselves. It had been far too long since she’d done anything as ridiculous as drinking, but if John insisted that everything was okay perhaps tonight she could allow herself to loosen up a bit. 

Gilmore was standing near the window, leaning his shoulder on the window frame, sipping a beer and flirting with the asari from Alenko’s ship. Daveth and Sebastian were having an arm wrestling match over on the kitchen counter, and Lyna and Varric were swapping stories nearby as they waited for the billiard table to be free.

Marian nodded to herself.

“You’re right, I suppose,” she said, looking over at John.

“I am, and don’t you forget it,” he grinned back, waggling his eyebrows.

John moved back to the table to figure out his next shot and Marian headed out of the kitchen to see if she could track down Vega, perhaps a beer wasn’t such a bad idea afterall.

She found Vega upstairs on the sectional with Cortez, Williams, and a few members from the Warden’s ships. Vega had his arm slung around the back of the couch and was speaking with Warden Tabris. Her stomach flipped and she cursed herself, thinking about fleeing before anyone saw her. Why she suddenly felt the surge of jealousy, Marian wasn’t sure; but she didn’t like the feeling at all.

“Hawke,” Cortez called out, as he spotted her.

Heat flushed her cheeks and Marian nearly groaned at being caught just staring at the group.

“Lola,” Vega said, leaning forward and pulling his arm away from the Warden’s shoulders. “You change your mind?”

Inwardly, Marian thought he sounded hopeful, but she couldn’t be sure.

“If the offer still stands,” she said, taking a few steps toward the mixed crowd.

“Of course it does.” Vega’s voice was warm as he spoke and it urged her forward.

The couches were full, but Cortez popped open a bottle of ale, something called Canadian, whatever that meant, and handed it over to her.

She glanced around for a spot to squeeze into and was surprised when Vega pulled her over and dropped her onto his leg. 

“Here’s fine,” he grinned as she’d landed not-so-elegantly onto his knee. 

Cortez roared in laughter and Marian wondered if she’d missed a joke; but when Kallian Tabris knocked the neck of her beer bottle to Marian’s, Marian grinned at the gathered soldiers and downed nearly half of the bottle in one gulp.

It was cold and refreshing, but not nearly as delicious as some of the Thedosian Ales she preferred when she did drink.

The night wore on as the crew began swapping battle stories, not only of the fight with Cerberus earlier in the day, but of wars they’d fought in the past. Marian finally heard the whole story of the fight against Sovereign, and Isabela, a consultant on Mahariel’s squad, spilled a lengthy tale about her youth, when she’d stolen a Qunari artifact. 

The Arishok had sauntered into the room around that time, while Isabela told her story. The room went silent as they waited for the Arishok to make a comment, good or bad, about the topic of conversation.

Eventually, he nodded his head for the woman to continue the story. It seemed he’d been privy only to the tale from the Qunari perspective and was eager to hear it from the thief’s lips herself.

“You won’t arrest me now that the Tome has been returned, will you?” she asked cautiously.

“I should,” the tall man replied.

Nearby, Marian could see a few of Mahariel’s team start to bristle in anticipation; but rather than ordering them to stand down, Marian allowed the Arishok to continue.

“But your atonement can be found amongst these soldiers just as well as within our prison camps.”

Marian watched Isabela as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Mahariel’s men and women also relaxed in the wake of the Arishok’s admission.

Another hour or two passed and Marian realized that the music playing in the living room had been turned down. It seemed the party was beginning to die down and quite a few people had wandered off from their posts on the couches. By now, Marian was certain that the beds were overcrowded with people, just trying to sleep off their alcoholic festivities.

Vega had begged off for a bathroom break nearly an hour ago and when he’d returned, Marian had given him his seat back but had settled against his side, curling her legs up onto the vacated couch cushion nearby. She wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but certainly wasn’t going to presume anything with the young Lieutenant.

With Cortez nodding off periodically during their conversation, Marian glanced at the clock. Nearly 3 AM SGT. She groaned, knowing she had to be awake in just a few hours to join Shepard while they would assess what needed to be done with the General.

Though her mind was swimming, Marian stood up from the couch thinking it would be best to call an autocab and get back to her cabin on the Lothering. The privacy would be unrivaled and she didn’t want to insert herself anywhere where she wasn’t welcome.

She was halfway to the stairwell before Vega grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

“Whoa, Lola, where you going?” he asked, teetering just the slightest bit.

“Back to the ship to get some shut eye,” she whispered, knowing people had passed out all over the floors. 

Over Vega’s shoulder, Marian spotted Fenris curled up on an overstuffed pillow in the middle of the balcony’s floor.

“Stay,” Vega begged in a whisper. “It would be silly to leave now.”

A shiver passed through her at the needy timbre of his voice. She caught his gaze dropping to her lips before he turned his brown eyes back on to hers.

“I’ve got work to do,” she said. “A Captain’s work is never finished.”

“Do you want me to head back with you?” he asked, looking over her shoulder for a moment. “There may be more Cerberus agents out there.”

“I’ll be fine, James,” she said, with a smile.

Vega nodded, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, looking around the living room just below them.

“Something wrong, Vega?” she asked, frowning at him.

Without warning, the eager young soldier pulled her to him, and cupped her head in his hands, pressing his lips to hers. Warmth spread through her body as his arms wrapped around her waist, and Marian granted his tongue access as Vega moved to deepen the kiss.

Then, despite the fact that she was enveloped in the lieutenant’s scent, the image of Loghain flashed in her mind.

Marian started, guilt stabbing through her chest and pulled away from Vega, whose expression quickly changed to one of surprise.

“I really should go,” she said, hearing her voice tremble.

She hadn’t expected that. She’d been flirting with and teasing with the idea of herself and James for weeks; but when the memory of Mac Tir standing at the airlock when she’d rejoined the Lothering had snapped her from the lust filled haze, Marian had decided. 

Vega grimaced and Marian turned away, unable to look the young Lieutenant in the eye.

He took a step back, giving her distance or trying to read the situation, Marian couldn’t tell. 

“Be careful out there, Lola,” he said, breaking the silence and clearing his throat. “The Fleet wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“Go get some sleep,” she said, tears gathering in her eyes. Marian needed to get out of the apartment before she acted on the regret she felt in the wake of her betrayal to James. 

He chuckled wryly, as Marian managed to give him one long look. 

Marian tiptoed down the stairs as quickly and as quietly as possible, heading for the terminal near the door. Reaching the terminal, she quickly keyed in an order for a cab. Though she could feel his eyes on her, Marian resisted the urge to turn around. Instead, she reached for the handle and opened the door, swallowing back the tightness that closed her throat.


	19. Chapter 19

Two days later, Marian found herself leaving the Normandy Brig after she and Shepard finished questioning Petrovsky about the so-called Sanctuary on Horizon.

She wasn’t sure how John had managed it, another story to add to her must-hear list, but Shepard had bartered with Aria during a covert meeting on Omega itself to get her to allow them to give Petrovsky to the Alliance rather than giving him back to the asari pirate queen. 

Perhaps, she thought, passing through the interrogation room on the lowest deck, it was best not to know.

While the members of their small fleet had spent the last couple days helping C-sec with Citadel Clean-up, Shepard had taken a shuttle to Omega and had spoken with the asari matriarch. Twenty-four hours later, he’d returned with a promise from Aria that she would not seek vengeance on the Cerberus General as long as he never returned to Omega space. 

Aria’s condition, from what Shepard had managed to tell Marian as they made their way back to the brig earlier, was that Aria would join their teams to take part in the final show down against The Illusive Man and that Shepard’s fleet would allow her to make the killing blow.

Marian was unsure what else Shepard conceded in his agreement with Aria; but his confession to Marian would have to wait. They had what information they could get from Petrovsky. With the Council agreeing to send technicians and engineers and other trust-worthy workers for the building of the newly-dubbed ‘Crucible’ after they’d essentially saved the Citadel it was the least the Council could do, the fleet would now have some time to chase after Cerberus. The Council had give Marian and Shepard’s fleet carte blanche as far as the preparations for war were concerned. 

While Cerberus was a secondary issue in the face of the Reapers, Marian and John had decided that they needed to take care of Cerberus before they could focus on anything else. The sooner they rid the galaxy of the crazed Illusive Man, the better. Besides, it would be months before the crucible was complete and the more civilians and soldiers they saved, the better.

The geth had reported through secure FTL channels that the Reapers were advancing quickly, but that they calculated at least another two months before they reached the Arcturus Nebula. Though there were no colonized planets in the system, the Systems Alliance had already moved the sixth fleet to another location as well as making moves to destroy the relay when the Reapers made their appearance there. The destruction of a relay was a last resort; but in the success of the Bahak relay’s destruction, a last step they could not ignore.

Even though Kite’s Nest and Petra Nebula were closer, it seemed that the Reapers had taken offense to humanity’s fighting spirit and planned to take them on head first. Already, reports were hitting the airwaves that ships were going to mobilize to begin moving the 10 billion humans still on Earth to other locations. Knowing that Shepard had seen the first stages of Human-reaper Capital ships on the collector base, it hadn’t come as a surprise to Marian that the sentient beings were looking to Earth as a new hub for harvesting. 

“Marian,” John said, catching her attention as they stepped into the elevator on the engineering deck. 

Marian turned and raised an eyebrow at the Admiral.

“I think we are going to need to leave some of the fleet behind.”

“John,” she started, unwilling to discuss the possibility in the light of what they’d learned from Petrovsky.

“Hear me out,” he said, waving away her protestations. “If we hit Sanctuary, there are going to be swarms of troopers there, some may even be sleeper agents. If we go in with our entire fleet, Cerberus will be on the defensive, AA missiles out, scrambling towers active. I think this mission is going to need to rely on stealth.”

Marian frowned.

“Exactly how much stealth are you thinking, Admiral?”

“Thanks to Petrovsky, we know which colonies are being targeted as Sanctuary feeder colonies.”

Her stomach dropped and her mouth went dry, her mind beginning to piece together what he was driving at.

“I think we need to get some of our teams on those colonies to get picked up.”

“Don’t you think the other colonists will know something is strange when new colonists arrive?”

“I bet there’s just enough panic in the colonies that it will take a while for civilians to catch on.”

“And the Alliance protection?”

“There’s not much of an Alliance presence on these colonies,” he said, waving the datapad in her direction. “If we’re careful, the civilians will never know they’ve been infiltrated.”

The elevator doors opened at the CIC deck and Shepard stepped out, ushering Marian into the main control hub of the Normandy.

“I think we need to get every able-bodied human-looking fleet member into colonist clothes,” he said, whispering into her ear as they walked to the galaxy map.

He pulled up the holographic display and asked EDI to add a new filter onto the map that would allow him to mark it without entering destinations.

After a moment, the AI replied and John began indicating systems.

“There are at least 6 colony worlds that Cerberus is targeting. I think we should start with those. Each colony should get a few of our fleet members, couples, classmates, friends, whatever cover stories I can get Kasumi to come up with. Then we wait. I would think that Cerberus, from your reports on Eden Prime, would be actively visiting and gathering more volunteers for the refugee site. It won’t be long before one of our team members gets picked up.”

“You really think that will work?”

“Cerberus won’t be expecting it. Besides, the more intel we can gather, the better.”

Marian nodded.

“And our teams left behind?”

“They’ll continue working in the Terminus. Maybe we’ll park empty ships on Arcturus or any of your Thedosian stations. Whatever ships we have with stealth abilities should be maintained and fine tuned so that when our remaining ships enter Horizon space to retrieve our squads, Cerberus won’t catch us.”

“That sounds dangerous, John,” Marian said, glancing at the maps. “What if something happens to our officers in the mean time?”

“That’s why we only send the most prepared men and women. There’s no sense in sending down Chambers or Donnelly, but anyone who’s been active in the sims or on ground missions with the team should be qualified.”

“I still don’t know, it’s gonna be pretty easy for the Cerberus teams to find out who we are. You certainly can’t go down there.”

“That’s why I’m going to bring Kasumi in on this. She can plant histories and fake records with the best of them. Everyone being sent to the colonies will have completely new identities.” 

“So you’ve settled on this plan then?” she asked, feeling a little miffed at the fact that he seemed so sure of this harebrained scheme.

“Only if you agree that it’s a good idea,” he amended. “I thought about it while Petrovsky was rattling off information. He seemed quite agreeable after a few weeks in the brig and my promise that enough information could buy him out of Aria’s grasp.”

Marian mulled over the beginnings of his plan.

“Let me think about it,” she said, frowning. “I’m just not sure it’s fool proof.”

“Nothing ever is,” John admitted. “And since I cannot be used to infiltrate Sanctuary on this mission, I’m wondering if you would lead our teams.”

Marian blinked, he wanted her to what? She hadn’t even made it through to the Reaper artifact without breaking her cover. And it had gotten her indoctrinated.

“The team will need a leader down there,” John continued. “Of course we’ll send those with leadership training to the colonies, but when they arrive at Sanctuary, they’ll need someone to focus on, whether or not they’ll admit to it. My fleet looks up to you, as yours does to me. I think it would be a good idea to send you to take point on this mission, as long as you’re agreeable.”

“I definitely need to think about this,” she said, looking at John carefully. “You do realize I’m not exactly human.”

“Human enough for Kasumi to make up a few stories,” he said.

Marian nodded.

“Think about it, at least. We can talk about it in the morning.”

Marian nodded and allowed John to escort her over to the airlock. 

The next morning, Marian found herself sitting in her suite talking to Varric. She was due to speak with Shepard in half an hour to give her answer to his request and Varric was still trying to talk her out of accepting the challenge.

“Have you lost your mind, Hawke?” Varric growled. 

“It may not be the best of plans,” she conceded, “but it’s the best we have.”

“Going into a Cerberus facility with nothing but your clothing? What if they brainwash you?”

“I’m fairly certain that at this point there’s no way I can be brainwashed, Varric,” she sighed. She didn’t want to tell him her Grey Warden secrets, but at the rate he was yelling at her, Marian was sorely tempted.

“You can’t just go traipsing around like a colonist while the rest of the fleet,”

“The rest of the fleet what?” she interrupted. “While you lead the ship and get everyone prepared to come in after us?”

Varric very nearly growled as he dropped into a nearby couch with a decidedly petulant huff.

“You belong up here, with your ship,” he said.

“I belong where I can do the most for my people. I may not be an actual soldier, but I have the opportunity here to save millions, even if they aren’t from Thedas. Besides if we go through with this plan, I’m needed to help our team once they infiltrate Sanctuary.”

“You are the world’s worst sneak,” he muttered.

“I’m not sneaking anywhere. I’m going to make sure those Cerberus bastards take us to their little hideaway and see what I can find out about their plans. There are too many people out there being taken advantage of for me to do anything else.”

“But Hawke, this isn’t our fight.”

“You’re right, it’s not. But, what if the blights returned to Thedas, what if we were all stricken ill with plague and the qunari were luring your people into some sort of convoluted trap. Wouldn’t you want help to go save them?”

The left corner of Varric’s mouth sneered and Marian knew she’d caught him.

“I don’t like this,” he said.

“I know you don’t.”

“I hate that you’re going without me.”

“You’re the best XO I could ask for, Varric. I’d rather have you at my back than anyone else in this Maker forsaken galaxy, but your short stature would be immediately recognized.”

“Promise me you’ll stay safe, Hawke,” he said, his voice edging on that tightness just before tears would well up in a normal person’s eyes.

“I’ll do whatever I can,” she promised.

Varric cleared his throat.

“That’ll have to do,” he said, standing from the seat. “You have a meeting to get to.”

Marian nodded.

“See what you can do about rounding up as many humans from the fleet as possible. Volunteers only and high Sims scores as well, if you can. Anyone who hasn’t picked up a weapon in the past 6 months is off the list. Ideally I’d like about twenty of us, but, I know it might not work, we do have to leave some squad members for John.”

“I gotcha, Hawke,” he said, hefting his sniper rifle over his shoulder.

“Why do you insist on carrying that thing around on my ship,” she asked.

“It intimidates the dumb ones,” he grinned.

Twenty minutes later, Marian walked into the debriefing room of the Normandy. 

Miranda, Jacob, and the other Cerberus members who still resided on the ship were gathered in the room as well. Marian knew that the team on the ship had given The Illusive Man their resignations when they’d ignored the man’s advice about saving the reaper tech; but she couldn’t help the slight apprehension that fluttered through her.

“Good,” John said, stepping into the room behind her. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“You mean EDI didn’t announce my arrival on your ship?” Marian asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at the Admiral.”

“I merely announced that a Thedosian had come aboard,” EDI said, flashing her holographic image at her terminal.

“I hoped it would be you,” John said.

“So, have you decided?”

“If the rest of the team is in agreement,” Marian said, “then I will be happy to lead the infiltrators.”

“I still have some concerns about this plan, Shepard,” Miranda said. “The Illusive Man will not be tolerating any sort of anarchy from these colonists.”

“The team will be properly briefed, Miranda,” he said. “Besides, you said you had some sort of lead on your father and his plans. I figure you can take this time to follow up on them.”

“If those are your wishes, Shepard,” she replied, with a small nod. 

“I don’t intend on any former Cerberus members being part of this exercise. It would be far too easy for one of you to be recognized by your former team mates. Instead I want your help on our ships. Any information that the ground teams can get up to us needs to be monitored and examined. It will be incredibly important to have your expertise looking into this manner. Without your former ties to Cerberus, we will likely be sitting ducks.”

The two engineers nodded at the back of the room.

“We have a list from Petrovsky on colonies that are being scouted. At least at his last knowledge of The Illusive Man’s plans. I think it would best to move quickly; the more time we allow to pass, the less of a chance that this will work. And we need all the time we can get before the Reapers arrive.”

“Any new word from the Council on that front?” Marian asked, knowing it was likely that Shepard had spoken to Admiral Anderson before the meeting.

“They’ve asked the Hierarchy to send in a turian fleet to help the geth and quarians to patrol deep space. But other than that?” John shrugged.

“How much time before you want the infiltration team to depart?”

“18 hours,” John suggested. “Will that be enough time to get supplies?”

“I have a few contacts on the Citadel,” Marian said. “I’m sure we can get most of everything before this evening.”

“Once we get our list completed, I’ll have Kasumi start backlogging extranet entries. I can put Garrus in charge of gathering supplies, it’s a bit of an errand but, he’ll be fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written today in an effort to get my muse moving because I just realized that the last half of this fic that I thought was written.... was gone. So, starting over. Erk!
> 
> Also, not really sure why Anora turned out shy in this chapter... tricky characters


	20. Chapter 20

They’d picked colonies in groups of three, too many new citizens would be noticed by the administration and not for the first time did Marian wish they had more team members. In the end twelve men and women from the small fleet had been chosen to go to four of the colonies. 

Marian’s omnitool had randomly picked Tiptree out of the list of possible colonies targeted by the Sanctuary teams and later that afternoon she was on a shuttle that had been scheduled to crash land in the wilds just outside one of the colony towns.

In the shuttle with her were Steve Cortez and the pilot from Warden Mahariel’s ship. Marian tried to ignore the fact that it was Anora Mac Tir, but there was little she could do to change groups without breaking the confidence of the Warden Commander.

The shuttle that they’d appropriated for the crash landing had been an Exo-geni shuttle that Kasumi and Garrus had found on a black market extranet site. It hadn’t taken long for the two of them to gather the materials needed for their various teams; but it was clear when Marian had stepped into the shuttle that it was barely space worthy.

“At least I won’t feel bad crashing it,” Lt Cortez said from the cockpit.

Marian smiled and glanced over at Anora, who fidgeted in her seat.

“Are you sure you’re willing to do this, Mac Tir?”

“Anything to help the fleet,” she said, sounding like she’d practiced her line.

“I am not a Commander of any sort on this mission,” she said, trying to reassure the blonde woman. 

“I know. It’s just I never expected to be part of a shore party.”

“I can understand,” Marian agreed. “I never expected to be hired by the Council either.”

Anora gave her a shy smile.

Marian knew that Anora was in her early twenties, barely out of aviators college, and only serving with the Wardens, likely as a entry level position. Though she knew Anora was a fair pilot, Marian couldn’t help but wonder if she’d gotten her job only due to her skills or if her father had helped.

Before the thought even finished forming in her mind, Marian scolded herself. This had nothing to do with the Warden Commander.

Memories of the last time she’d seen Loghain came to the front of her mind, she was going to need to find out what was going on between them soon or she might go crazy. 

In fact, knowing that for the next two weeks she would be cut off from all outside contact, Marian hoped she’d be able to forget about it.

Her crew hadn’t exactly been thrilled with her decision to join the ground crews, even Varric had been short with her in the hours leading up to their departure.

“We will be fine,” she said, drawing herself back to the present. “As long as we stick to the stories and histories that Kasumi has fabricated for us.”

“We’re entering the atmosphere,” Cortez called out from the front of the ship. “Make sure your belts are buckled.”

Marian grimaced. In order to pretend to be colonists they’d left most of their armor and weapons back with the fleet. She had three clips wrapped around each ankle and a pistol tucked into the waistband of her pants. It was all that each of them wore and the most that Shepard would allow them to travel with. Any more gear and it would be too easy to get caught by the administration and even the Alliance patrols that sometimes visited the colonies. 

Besides, Warden Theirin had brought up, the men who worked for Sanctuary would not be easily fooled.

A couple minutes passed in silence as they flew through the thin atmosphere.

“Activating decoy,” Cortez called out.

“Have you found your target?”

“Affirmative.”

Marian covered her ears and counted down the seconds before a loud explosion ricocheted through the shuttle.

“Brace yourselves,” Cortez shouted over his shoulder.

Within a few seconds, the shuttle crashed onto the sandy ground of the colony, bouncing and sliding along the desert. 

Marian reached up for the handlebars and glanced at Anora, who looked a bit green.

“It’s alright,” she said, hoping to reassure the girl, who had to be ten or fifteen years her junior.

“No matter how much I've trained, I hate crash landings,” Anora admitted, her eyes locking with Marian’s.

“There’s a look-out tower fifty feet ahead, I’m going to steer us toward the building. Brace for impact.”

The seconds seemed to last hours as they stopped bouncing and slide toward their destination until they finally hit the brick wall of the look-out.

“Sorry about that,” Cortez said, over his shoulder, looking a bit frazzled.

Marian glanced over at him before hitting the emergency ejection button, the hatch flying into the air and revealing a handful of armed colonists standing just outside the doorway.

“Everyone alright in there?” an older gentleman asked, leaning in through the opening.

Marian grabbed her head, sure that one of the jolting bounces had opened a wound on the back of her head.

“I think so,” she managed, hearing her own voice coming out weakly. 

A hand appeared and Marian took it to help her out.

“Thank you,” she said, pulling her hand away from her head to greet the man with the human handshake.

Marian grimaced seeing that her hand was covered in blood.

“Can we get some medics over here?”

A few hours later, Marian and her new sister and brother-in-law were sitting in the kitchen of Seth Moreau. Cortez had almost lost his composure when they’d realized where they’d landed.

Marian hadn’t even known Joker had family on one of the colonies until Mr. Moreau had asked if they knew anyone in the Alliance.

He was a proud father, doting on both his children, though he’d been very tightlipped about what his son might be doing, after Marian denied being in the military.

“Your brother-in-law looks the type,” he’d said, jutting his chin over in Cortez’s direction.

“Bad eyes,” Cortez said, waving away Mr. Moreau’s concerns. “I couldn’t pass the visual exam, plus I’ve got bad arches.”

“That’s too bad,” the older man had replied. “The Alliance needs good strong soldiers.”

Marian smiled and placed her coffee mug on the table. After she’d received her stitches from the medic that had likely never received his certificate, she thought reaching up toward the bandage, the man had invited them all to his house. It seemed that he was the un-official colony mayor, and felt it his duty to get to know any new citizens of the Tiptree Colony.

“What did happen to you folks?” 

Marian, glancing over at Anora who still looked a bit queasy, spoke for them.

“Our colony was attacked by those giant bug people. We,” she paused, worrying her lip. 

“Managed to get away, but we didn’t get far before the shuttle started breaking down. There all these alarms and –“

“Tiptree was the closest colony I could find on the old maps,” Cortez continued. “Thank God for that too, we would have crash landed and died somewhere had we not found your colony.”

“Why don’t you stay here for the night,” Mr. Moreau said. “We’ve got a few extra bedrooms and I promised the medic we’d keep an eye on you, in case your head trauma is really a concussion.”

Marian glanced over at Steve, hoping to convey uncertainty, worrying her bottom lip.

“My daughter should be home from school soon,” he continued. “She’d be so upset if I didn’t offer you the hospitality.”

“Daughter?”

Marian couldn’t remember Joker ever mentioning anything about a sister, though she certainly didn’t have the same history that Shepard had with the Normandy crew.

“She’s sixteen,” the father beamed proudly. “She’d hate to miss the most exciting thing to happen in the Colony this year.”

“Dinner then,” Marian agreed. “And we can talk about staying the night afterwards.”

Mr. Moreau beamed a bright smile.

“I could help with dinner,” Anora offered, her voice quiet.

“I was going to do a pot pie,” 

Anora nodded.

“That will be easy enough.”

Later that evening, Marian climbed into a large bed beside Anora.

“How very old-school of Mr. Moreau,” she said giving the woman a smile.

“I’m sure Steve is relieved,” Anora replied, returning the smile.

“You did a good job today, Anora. I don’t think you’ll have any problem keeping this up. Besides, your dinner was fantastic.”

Anora blushed, it was clear that she either wasn’t used to compliments or she was just naturally shy.

“I’m sorry you got roped into this,” Marian said.

“I volunteered,” Anora said, “but I didn’t expect my insides to be so twisted.”

“It will get easier. I’m sure you’re not exactly used to going undercover.”

Anora shook her head.

“I’d feel better if I could be flying.”

Marian frowned.

“I don’t know what I can do about that,” she said. 

“I’ve got an idea about that,” Anora said. 

Marian raised an eyebrow at her.

“Hillary mentioned she had an old shuttle that she was trying to repair in a garage out back. I thought I might volunteer to help her.”

“It’s a good idea,” she said. “Just be careful.”

“I’m a farming colony daughter,” Anora countered, reaching over to turn off the light. “I know a few things about machinery.”

The light was doused and the room went dark.

“That sounds great,” Marian said, wanting to make Anora feel as comfortable as possible and not just because she had a thing for Anora’s father.

The thought flashed in her mind and Marian worried her lip, wondering how she would survive the next two weeks.


	21. Chapter 21

A handful of days passed on Tiptree while Marian and her crew got to know the locals. Anora, with Hilary’s help, had been working on the old shuttle, repairing and enhancing it with parts from their own crashed vessel while Cortez offered his arms to help the colonists with farming duties and other repair jobs.

Marian found herself ensconced within a twisted version of a PTA or Community Board, helping with beautifying the colony, with clean up and flower planting.

The last thing she ever thought she’d be doing was assisting with planting flowers and planning community-wide gatherings.

Varric would certainly have a good laugh at the sight of her on her knees in the dirt.

It was on the third day that whispers started moving through the colony about Horizon and the sanctuary it provided.

At the first hushed whispers, Marian did her best to act unconcerned while keeping an ear on the conversation.

From what she’d been able to gather, all the information was propaganda similar to what they’d found on Eden Prime, about how it was a safe haven from the collectors.

Then when Marian and her team had been on the colony for a full week, an announcement came over the PA system.

“Ladies and Gentleman of the Tiptree Colony,” the voice said.

Marian straightened from kneeling in front of the pot of dirt that she’d been planting peppers in to listen to the announcement.

“Due to imminent Collectors attacks to colonies such as ours, vessels from the Horizon Sanctuary will be landing at the Western Strip this afternoon,” the mechanical voice announced. “Ships graciously donated by private investors will take all colonists to the safety of their sanctuary. Please bring only one footlocker of personal items.”

  
By this time the rumors had spread rampantly through the colony and everyone seemed to be on edge.

  
The voice cut off and the crowd of people in the streets began to murmur.

  
She dropped the small seedling into the dirt and looked around. Already people were pushing through the streets. It wouldn’t take long for a riot to break out if they weren’t careful.

  
Marian slipped through the rush of people and headed back for the Moreau household.

  
“But dad—“ Hilary complained as Marian walked into the house.

  
“The sanctuary will keep us safe,” he said, and turned to look up at Marian.

  
“Sir,” Marian replied, cutting into the fight between child and father. “You cannot go to the sanctuary.”

  
“What do you mean?” he asked, pushing himself out of his seat as if to defend himself.

  
Behind her, Marian heard Anora and Steve walking into the house.

  
“You ready,” Cortex asked.

  
She nodded and then turned back.

  
“Sir. We believe Horizon is not the safe place that it pretends to be.”

  
“Who are you people?”

  
“Special forces,” she said, trying to keep her answers as short as possible.

  
Anora walked up beside her.

  
“The shuttle is ready to fly,” she said, glancing over at Marian. “The cloaking device I installed will keep you clear of the radars of the ships.”

  
“You’re serious?” the father asked, eyes darting back and forth between Marian and Anora.

  
“You cannot board that ship,” Marian said. “We were sent to investigate the legitimacy of the Horizon Colony covertly and I cannot allow you to go.”

  
Mr. Moreau rubbed the back of his neck and groused.

  
“But why?”

  
Marian grimaced.

  
“Once you get into orbit,” Anora said, looking over at Hilary, “Send out the homing beacon. It will signal some friends to pick you up.”

  
“There’s not much time,” Marian replied, glancing over at the clock on the wall.

  
Anora nodded and raced down the hall in the direction that Steve had taken.

  
“This is—“ Mr. Moreau started.

  
“You want to see Joker again, right sir?”

  
He nodded.

  
“Then you need to take the shuttle like I said. We will try to rescue as many colonists as we can once we get to Horizon, but I won’t be able to do that if I have to worry about you and your daughter.”

  
A day later, Marian was being directed through a throng of some thirty thousand colonists at the Welcome Center. Men and women had been separated out into groups and flashes of memory came back to Marian from her days in school. When the Qunari had attacked on Thedas some twenty generations ago, they too had sorted their ‘winnings’ and figured out the purpose of each of their captors while they separated families. Some colonies still talked about the horrors of that time.  
Marian shuddered, her head throbbing in pain.

  
Standing on the balls of her feet, Marian peered over the gathered masses and spotted Anora’s familiar bun a few rows over.

  
She swallowed nervously, hoping that Kasumi’s work held out through the scanning that the volunteers were forcing upon each of the newly arrived colonists.

  
With five people in front of her, Marian grew nervous enough to feel bile rising in her throat. She had to keep calm if she wanted to get into the base without alerting anyone.

  
She forced herself to calm down and rubbed the back of her neck.

  
“No,” someone shouted nearby.

  
Most of the room turned their heads to look at the disturbance, Marian slipped forward, moving past the mothers and farmers as she watched the desk workers all stand and glance at the mother now screaming behind her.

  
“No, no you can’t!”

  
She stepped into the scanner, praying to the Maker that it didn’t alert the bored security guards that a Thedosian had entered the facility.

  
Glancing at the terminal, she held her breath afraid that even her breathing could trigger some sort of alarm.

  
Then when the light turned green, she stepped out into the waiting area. She ignored her headache and glanced around.

  
Marian sighed, watching a rush of security members run past, the woman on the other side of the gates losing her mind in anguish as they took her child away. She could only grimace.

  
She looked over her shoulder to see some of the guards pushing through the crowd, and let her feet carry her toward the inner workings of the facility.

  
Marian crashed into something that hadn’t been in her way before and snapped her head back to her front, seeing the scowling face of a guard as she stumbled back.

  
“Just what do you think you’re doing,” he asked, voice fairly growling above her.

  
“I just wanted to—“ she started, pointing in the direction of the inner sanctum.

  
“You’ll wait your turn like everyone else,” he continued, crossing his arms over his chest in an intimidating manner.

  
“I’m just so scared of the collectors, I thought maybe they were coming and I wanted to be safe,” she blubbered.

  
The man frowned.

  
He looked over Marian’s shoulder at something and she managed not to follow his line of sight but only barely.

  
“Looks like you’re coming with me,” he grunted, then reached out and grabbed her elbow.

  
Marian struggled not to put up a fight. If she wanted to play the dumb colonist then she needed to do so and not provoke this man.

  
His grip was firm, much harder than it should be and she began to worry as he dragged her along the nearly empty corridor and toward a closed door.

  
The guard shoved her into a room with little table and chair with the orange glow of a terminal in the corner.

  
“Stay here,” he groused in warning and closed the door behind him as he left.

  
Marian watched the lock turn red and sat in the chair.

  
She was in the room for a handful of minutes, waiting nervously and worrying her bottom lip.

  
The terminal across the small room lit up and Marian glanced up to see a message typing across the screen.

  
_“Warden Hawke. I do not have a lot of time.”_

  
She frowned but tried to not move as the text scrolled across the screen.

  
“ _The Moreau’s are grateful. With Tali’zorah and Legion’s help we have discovered that Horizon’s benefactor is Cerberus. Be prepared for rescue from the fleet in forty-eight hours. Stay Safe, EDI_.”

  
“Cerberus,” Marian muttered as the screen went blank. “Of course.”

  
She slouched in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

  
At least they’d prevented the Moreau family from being captured.

  
The door opened and a rather good looking blonde woman sauntered into the office.

  
“Good afternoon, Miss Hawke,” she said, placing a datapad on the table.

  
Marian straightened, knowing she was in trouble.

  
“I believe you have me at a disadvantage,” she said.

  
The woman smirked.

  
“You’re supposed to be working with the Council, last we heard,” she said, rolling her hips as she walked toward the only other chair in the room. “I wonder why you were on Tiptree.”

  
Marian’s mind raced though she made a show of readjusting herself as she tried to come up with a legitimate reason why she was on the colony. Her headache returned with a vengeance.

  
She swallowed, hoping Shepard wouldn’t kill her, and began to tell a tale of corruption and how the great hero had sent her to protect the family of his pilot under duress.

  
When they finally released her from questioning, Marian was surprised to find out that they were taking her to the barracks rather than a prison cell. It seemed her lies had been convincing enough.

  
“Anora,” Marian said, spotting her companion sitting on the bottom bunk of a bed near the door.

  
The look on relief on Mac Tir’s face warmed her.

  
“I was worried they’d found you out.”

  
“They did,” she replied, wanting to place a comforting hand on Anora’s shoulder. “But things are looking better.”

  
“They’re sure to have a watch on me,” she whispered. “We have some forty hours before rescue.”

  
Anora nodded and Marian walked away, knowing it would be better if they weren’t seen together again. If Cerberus hadn’t figured out already that she had companions, it was better to not tempt fate.

  
It wasn’t until the facility staff called lights out some hours later, that Marian recognized the faint buzzing in her head.

  
Horizon was harboring Reaper signals.

  
She pulled herself to sit up in the bunk she’d been assigned and looked around the room. The humming didn’t seem to be originating in the room.

  
Now that she knew what was causing her headache, Marian knew she wouldn’t be able to ignore it. But, her lies to Cerberus earlier in the day meant they were watching her and any answers she wanted would have to wait until the attack in a day and half.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry dear readers that it took so long to update, Nanowrimo took all my attention there for a while.


	22. Chapter 22

Two weeks later Marian walked into the quarters of her ship. She’d spent so many days away from The Lothering lately that she barely recognized her own possessions when Varric had shooed her into the room and locked the door behind her. 

The last couple weeks had been filled with strategy and war as Marian and her teams infiltrated human colonies, registered at the Sanctuary Colony under false pretenses, saved the nearly million colonists already forced to live in the prison camp, then they’d finished the whole thing off by a frontal assault on Cerberus Headquarters with the might of the Alliance Sixth Fleet, the Thedosian Warden fleet, and the mercenary ships that Aria had supplied behind them.

First, she had gone to the Tiptree Colony along with Anora and Cortez in order to get onto Sanctuary. Infiltrating the regular colonists lives, the teams were to set up as locals to ensure they made it onto the cruisers that promised to get the colonists to the secure location of the Sanctuary colony.

Then, Marian and Anora had been separated from Steve during registration at the Sanctuary Reception Hall because Cerberus forced males and females apart from each other. Like an old war vid, they were stripped of their possessions, dressed in jumpsuits, and made to follow strict schedules in order to keep sedition down. She’d been contacted by EDI with a warning while she’d been held temporarily within a small interrogation room and had learned then the plans of her counterparts.

EDI, it seemed, was still working on the code that Cerberus had been copying from the Reaper artifact that they’d had hidden in the lower levels. She had yet to learn what they were doing with the code, other than some experiments that had been disturbed, she wasn’t sure what she’d seen in the bowels of the Cerberus laboratories. 

No matter, she thought, shaking her head. It was clear that the human dominance group had been stopped well before they progressed too far in their experimentation. She only hoped that the Council was performing their duty and actively scanning each returned colonist for traces of indoctrination.

Less than twenty-four hours after the Horizon Sanctuary had been liberated, Marian had gone to ground with Shepard and Aria as they fought their way through the Cerberus headquarters searching for The Illusive Man. They’d reached the inner sanctum with Miranda’s help, one of the few people to ever enjoy a face-to-face meeting with the human leader of the terrorist organization. And luck had been on their side as Shepard fought verbally with the man who’d once employed him.

Marian could still feel the itch of The Illusive Man’s indoctrination on her skin. It had been uncomfortable and a little scary to see and feel the extent that The Illusive Man had been under Reaper Control.

In the end, it hadn’t mattered. For a brief second, just like Balak, the man had overcome his indoctrination and begged for Shepard to listen to him. That all he wanted was to protect humanity, all he had ever done had been in the name to protect humanity.

Then The Illusive Man had taken a pistol that none of them had seen and placed it to his temple. Aria, though patient through his monologue, had flicked the pistol away with a biotic wave and crossed the room in a single leap.

“It is my right to kill you, Jack Harper,” she’d growled out. “You tried to take my station away from me. I do not forgive and forget.”

For the first time during their argument, Marian saw fear flutter through The Illusive Man’s features, his eyes unreadable through the cybernetic upgrades. 

Aria, having found some level of compassion, snapped the man’s neck with a single move and let his body crumple to the floor. It had been a bittersweet moment, their main adversary had died, but he’d been a quaking mess before Aria had ended his life.

Miranda had then placed herself in the Illusive Man’s chair, at the behest of Admiral Shepard, and called off the attacks on the combined fleets of human, thedosian, and Omegan citizens. She’d ordered the Cerberus teams to surrender and within a few hours the Fleets had taken the remaining members of Cerberus as temporary prisoners.

“I suggest we don’t destroy everything,” Miranda had said. “I know the Illusive Man was losing grip on his sanity, but he had caches of materials and credits spread throughout the galaxy. If you give me some time, I can see about allocating those resources to the places they’re most needed.”

Marian offered up the services of the Grey Wardens within the fleet.

“With all due respect, Shepard,” Marian had told her partner. “We do not know the extent of the Reapers’ control over this station and the people within. I suggest that along with Miranda, and whatever of the Cerberus team you want to leave here, that we also leave some Wardens on the ship. They will be invaluable to Miranda’s team as she takes control of the Cerberus assets.”

Shepard had agreed, and Marian had given the orders later that evening to the Wardens under her command to go with the Cerberus team and work with Miranda in order to locate and reassign the resources that the Illusive Man had. 

While the Council was uncertain about trusting Cerberus operatives, Shepard had made the point that the soldiers and ships could now be used against the Reapers instead of fighting the Council and council-protected lands.

Marian and John had assigned a third team to sort through all records within The Illusive Man’s control and to reconfigure all VI’s, Servers, and the AI they found, to block out the Reaper Signal.

Tonight, after many days of long hard work, was the first time that Marian had had a few moments to herself.

She poured a few fingers of brandy into a glass and walked about her quarters. No doubt there was an itemized list of duties for her to deal with filling up her extranet inbox. But tonight, Marian intended on enjoying her solitude.

Turning on a playlist filled with old bardic tunes played on lutes, Marian stripped off her armor and lay back into the couch in her seating corner naked. She couldn’t believe how far the fleet had come over the past few months and she was proud of everyone on the team. The past month in particular had taken a toll on the squads. Teammates were on bedrest for gunshot wounds and others were simply exhausted from long hours working on terminals and ensuring that the fleet and her ships were safe. 

The entire fleet, though it was only a handful of ships that she shared command with, was really due a break but Marian had no idea how to accomplish it with the war inching closer every day.

The geth, quarian, and turian fleets, sent out by the Council to watch the system borders, reported frequent sightings of Reapers in the deep space between the Bahak system and the Sol system, and occasional reports came in where an entire fleet had been decimated, though she’d seen at least three successful kills against Reapers in the reports that she’d glanced at a few hours ago. 

Taking a deep swallow of the honey colored liquid, Marian stared up at the ceiling of her rooms enjoying the burn as the alcohol raced down her throat.

The latest reports she’d read stated that the Reapers were due to hit the Sol system in a little under a week, which was a scary thought. Once the Reapers entered the system, they would be able to use the relays to jump nearly anywhere in the galaxy.

Admiral Hackett’s latest news reported the Crucible at 10% completion. Though with the resources Miranda was gathering, the latest estimates were much better for finishing. It was guessed that all the extra manpower and materials could complete the crucible within two months rather than the 4-6 originally estimated.

If they really managed that kind of progress, the galaxy had a chance at stopping the Reapers completely in less than a year.

The teams still weren’t sure exactly what the Crucible would do, and Javik’s work at translating the archives was arduously slow. Until then, the fleet would be busy with maintenance, repair, and various little jobs for the Council.

For now, while things were quiet, Shepard had been told that the Normandy was being sent to Earth for a few upgrades. Marian had yet to speak to Cullen to find out any last minute assignments; but she had a call scheduled the next morning with her supervisor.

A new message arrived at her terminal, signaled by a green blinking light. Tempted to ignore it, she had asked that her VI block all incoming messages, Marian called out to have the message displayed over her chair.

“Marian,  
A moment of your time, if you please.  
Loghain.”

Marian frowned, wondering what the Chamberlain could want. He didn’t specifically say he needed to speak with her right away; but the fact that she hadn’t heard anything from him since she’d left his ship all those weeks ago had been bothering her of late. Sure she’d sent him a mission report after they returned from Sanctuary, but it had been mostly to let him know that Anora had been safe the entire time she was in the field.

She stood and reached for a nearby hoodie, zipped it up to cover her important parts, and settled down in the chair at her desk. This late at night, Marian wasn’t about to get dressed in a uniform and queue up the QEC, but she was dressed enough now to hold a video call if that’s what Loghain wanted.

Running her fingers through her chin-length hair, Marian placed her glass of brandy on the desk and sat down to wait for the terminal to power on.

“Chamberlain,” she said in greeting as his image flickered into being on her terminal.

“Marian,” he responded, frowning into the camera. “You look exhausted.”

Marian nodded once, she was exhausted.

“You wanted to talk?”

Marian watched as the older man seemed to mull something over in his mind. That hesitation he portrayed scared Marian.

“Is something wrong?” she asked him, trying to ignore the flutter of concern in her gut.

“No,” he grunted. “We can talk later. I didn’t even realize the time.”

This time Marian frowned.

“I’m already here, sir,” she said, trying to sound calm and relaxed though she hardly felt it. “It’s not as though I was asleep. How can I help?”

Loghain started, for a moment his eyes flicked widely at the camera before they diverted. It was hardly a normal reaction for the older man to become flushed as he was.

“We’ll talk later,” he said, and before Marian could respond, the Chamberlain had disconnected the call.

A chill raced down her spine at the abrupt ending to the call. If he wasn’t calling to check in on his daughter, or calling about the wardens she’d left on the Chronos station, Marian had no idea what had disturbed the man in such a manner.

She downed the rest of the brandy, intent on finally passing out for the night, but sleep eluded her.

The next morning, Marian pulled herself out of bed well before her alarm was set to go off. With the extra time, she grabbed a quick shower and dressed for her report to Cullen. Making sure that she didn’t look as exhausted as she felt, Marian settled into her receptacle and keyed up the QEC to wait for Cullen to answer the call.

“Hawke,” he said, with a nod. 

“Sir,” she replied. “You asked to speak with me?”

“The Council reported that the Normandy and her fleet will be returning to Earth Space for a few repairs before the assault begins. Is there anything your ships need?”

“We could use a break,” she said, albeit a bit reluctantly. Marian had no intention of whining, but the team needed some rest.

“The squads have been working day and night in preparation. I would readily recommend at least a couple days of shore leave. It doesn’t need to be anywhere exotic, even Seheron Station would be perfectly adequate.”

Cullen didn’t say a word when Marian paused.

“The crew is running on empty and if we’re to head the battle on Earth or wherever the Council sends us, I’m sure a few days of relaxation would be greatly appreciated.”

“You have no other duties to attend to?”

“Most of the crew has been evaluating the Cerberus prisoners since we took down the base. The Council seems to be consenting to a bit of a break as well, which is surprising in and of itself. There’s not much we can do until the reapers arrive or the Crucible is finished”

Cullen nodded slightly, as if mulling the whole situation over.  
“Latest reports coming in from the quarians suggest approximately a week before they reach the Sol system. Two to three standard days would be more than enough to give the crew some rest.”

“You would recommend this?”

“Yes, sir,” she nodded.

“Then let me suggest the Orlais Station for your R and R. It’s just a few systems away and will allow your fleet a bit of a breather. In the mean time, I have a few personal issues that I’d like you to take care of for me, discrete assignments.”

Marian frowned, Guerrin Security had been quiet for weeks on needing their assistance, what was going on now that they needed her team back? Not that it wasn’t their right to call back their ships anyway, Marian’s vessel was owned by the stockholders and private funding companies afterall.

“Sir, I,” she began, already regretting the fact that she’d gotten her team a few days’ respite.

“Nothing so difficult, I promise you.”

“Very well,” she said, giving her commanding office a nod. “Send the dossiers to my inbox and I’ll get them done as soon as possible.”

“Work well, Spectre,” the man said, with a short bow of his head. 

The QEC shutdown as the image of Cullen leaned over to cut transmission.

Checking the flight schedule, Marian saw that her sister was already on duty at the helm. Quickly she called up the flight radio and told her sister to set course for Orlais station at 9 a.m. SGT. In the meantime, she would queue in a call to Shepard to alert them on the shore leave granted by her once boss.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please make sure (if you're getting caught up) to go back and read chapter 17. 
> 
> I realized the other day that I forgot the Citadel Priority quest when Cerberus takes over. Just completely skipped it. So I added it and gave you a new chapter today as well. 
> 
> Ugh! So sorry

   
Two days later, The Lothering was in the middle of armor and stealth upgrades, undergoing maintenance on the Orlais station. Perhaps for the last time before the Reapers arrived.  
   
With her new assignment freshly loaded into her omni-tool, Marian intended on conducting a full sweep of ship to ensure everyone was off the ship for the night.  
   
The sweep took three hours as she monitored the various systems going through power down. The Lothering was to be in dry dock for nearly 20 standard hours while the station crew completed the installation.   
   
When Marian finally keyed in the authorization to lock down the airlocks, she was exhausted. Thankfully she had a message from Varric asking her to meet some of the team members for lunch at The Lion.   
   
“Our esteemed leader!” Varric called out when she’d walked into the dark bar.   
   
Turning in the direction of the voice, Marian picked out the large table near the back that was filled with soldiers from not only her ship, but from the Wardens’ frigates as well. She grinned seeing heaps of food piled on large platters and in large serving bowls along the table. It seemed they were eating family style this afternoon.  
   
Varric and Isabela, a consultant on Lyna Mahariel’s ship, had large mugs of ale sitting in front of them, while the others had smaller glasses filled with varying amounts of liquor.  
   
“How’s leave?” she grinned, walking up and placing a hand on the back of Bethany’s chair.  
   
“I don’t know how you managed it, Hawke, but you did good,” Varric beamed. “Even the engineers are enjoying themselves.”  
   
The dwarf tipped his mug toward another corner of the large bar and Marian turned to see a few of their biotics drinking heartily at one of the other tables.  
   
Marian took a plate and filled it full, taking an empty seat near her sister, and ate heartily. While eating, she listened to the chatter of the team and was glad to hear that they were finally able to relax. Many of them had been on the colonies waiting for Horizon pickup, though only one other team made it to the sanctuary.   
   
Once she finished her food, Marian begged off from the socializing since she needed to get on the job for Teagan. She ignored the blatant stare from her XO, she knew he was angry that she was still on duty; but she had little choice when orders came directly from the director of the company.  
   
Marian felt ridiculous when she walked into the Rose sector of the Orlais Station. This cordoned off area of the station was for the rich, reserved for those with generations of wealth behind their names. Without her pass from Teagan, Marian wouldn’t have been allowed in this wing of the station, much less allowed to roam freely as she searched for her contact.  
   
To be honest, she thought after passing through yet another security check point, she didn’t even realize that there were still places like this in Thedosian space. A throw back to the days of nobility and the like, she assumed.  
   
Walking into the restaurant that Teagan’s notes had indicated, Marian was surprised to see a male host standing at a podium. The man sneered as he looked her over.  
   
“You,” he said with an unfamiliar accent. “You are not allowed to be in here dressed like that.”  
   
Marian balked, looking down at the battle dress armor she was in. Sure it wasn’t her dress uniform, but it was clean and she wasn’t wearing her weapon clips.  
   
“She’s fine, garçon,” a tall dark-haired woman said, brushing the little man away.   
   
“Captain Hawke, it is a great pleasure to finally meet you.”  
   
“Serah Pentaghast,” Marian guessed, nodding in the direction of the rather imposing woman.  
   
“We are incredibly pleased to see that you were able to make our meeting. Getting onto the station isn’t as easy as it used to be,” the Seeker said, ushering Marian down the pathway along the seating area. “Chamberlain MacTir has spoken highly of your abilities.”  
   
Marian fought a blush.  
   
“I thought this order came from Teagan Guerrin.”  
   
“It’s a little more complicated than that,” she said.  
   
Serah Pentaghast nodded but didn’t say another word until they reached a private room off the main dining hall. The door opened to reveal a red-headed woman and a curly-haired man already sitting at the table, dressed rather opulently.  
   
“I’m beginning to feel a little underdressed,” Marian quipped.  
   
“You need not worry about that, Captain Hawke. You are in good company among us.”   
   
Marian took the offered seat from the male and wondered exactly what was going on.  
   
“Before you sit the three remaining Seekers in the Thedosians Fleet,” Cassandra said. “This is Leliana Lay, formerly of the Chantry fleets.”  
   
“A pleasure,” the woman replied in a lilting accent, nodding her head.   
   
“This is Captain Cullen Rutherford.”  
   
“So what is all this?” Marian asked, feeling like she’d been dragged into the room to face her execution.  
   
“Seekers are not exactly known in the best of light, I’m sure you know. We are tasked with finding the truth no matter what the cost.”  
   
Marian nodded; their sometimes brutal conduct had led to a disbandment of some of the most well known battalions during the Fall of the Chantry Council a few years back.   
   
“The three of us have been working under the radar for the past few years, uncovering possible prothean technology in order to prepare for the upcoming battle.”  
   
“The Chamberlain has had some dealings with us in the past and wishes for our team to join your fleet.”  
   
“That’s all well and good,” Marian began. “But, I don’t see why I need three Seekers on my ship. Nor do I think we even have room for three more combatants.”  
   
“Suffice it to say that we hold knowledge that may well turn the tide of the war that approaches,” Cassandra said.  
   
“I certainly won’t stop you from boarding the Lothering. If Teagn has okayed your presence, then it will be done, I will not argue. But be aware that I am the captain, even if this isn’t a military vessel, you will be following my orders.”  
   
“That is not a problem,” Cassandra said. “We have also been briefed as to the Qunari leader who resides aboard your ship.”  
   
“The Arishok has proven himself quite useful during his stay,” Marian said. “I find his abilities quite refreshing in the wake of the rumors of the aloofness of the Qunari. I would prefer not to have any incidents between my passengers and my crew.”  
   
The next half hour passed with little trouble as Marian got to know the three Seekers. They were a humble bunch, maybe even because their division had been dismantled so suddenly and efficiently. The three of them admitted that they were the last vestige of the division, allowed only to continue their work discretely and under Cullen’s direct guidance. That fact alone was enough to peek her interest.   
   
When they finally finished their discussion, Marian advised them to be on the ship before 0800 station time.   
   
“We will be heading to the Sol system at that time in order to prepare for the arrival of the Reapers. If you feel the need to, I will have your sleeping arrangements allotted within the next two hours.”  
   
“That won’t be a problem,” Cassandra replied.  
   
Marian bid her new squad members, if they could actually be called that, a farewell, then headed out of the restaurant to the barracks. With the upgrades being finished overnight, Marian had ensured that all her fleet all had rooms within the military sanctioned barracks. That also meant, that Marian would be sleeping in the racks with her team, something she hadn’t done in nearly a decade.  
   
Walking along the street, ignoring the looks of the wealthy as they sneered in her direction, Marian crashed into a fellow passerby. Stumbling back in embarrassment, Marian grimaced as she saw Chamberlain Loghain frowning at her.  
   
“Are you alright, Captain?” he asked, reaching out to her shoulder to steady her.  
   
“I apologize, Chamberlain,” she replied, taking note that he’d addressed her formally. “I was not looking where I was going.”  
   
“What are you doing here in the Rose Sector?” he asked.  
   
Marian bristled, the tone in his voice caused anger to bubble in her veins. The anger she’d felt in knowing that he’d spoken to the Seekers about her rose in her chest.  
   
“I’m here on a pass from the Mr. Guerrin,” she said. “Don’t worry; I won’t be dirtying up the Rose for much longer.”  
   
She wrenched her arm from his grip and stalked off, feeling her anger rolling off her shoulders in waves. Marian thought that the Chamberlain wouldn’t have cared that she wasn’t from old money; at least she didn’t have a claim to the Amell fortunes anymore.    
   
Marian could hear the Chamberlain call out for her as she walked briskly toward the guarded entrance to the sector; but the last thing she wanted was to be belittled further by the Warden Chamberlain.   
   
Spending the next fifteen minutes or so picking her way back to the barracks, Marian worked on not being spotted by any of her fleet. By the time she’d reached the entrance of the Knight District, her anger had turned into shame. She felt miserable for blowing up at the Chamberlain. It was possible   
   
The whole mission into the Rose Sector had put her ill-at-ease. Why hadn’t she realized she’d need proper clothing to go into the noble sector, why hadn’t Teagan warned her himself? She grumbled as she stalked down the hallway to the bunk she was sharing with nineteen of her shipmates.  
   
“I’m such an idiot,” she grumbled under her breath as she unsnapped the chestpiece of her armor. “How am I going to face any of them tomorrow?”   
   
A familiar tingle of a nearby warden went ignored. That incessant buzz had become mere background noise over the last few weeks, what with all her work amongst Wardens Thierin and Mahariel.   
   
Marian rounded the corner and opened the door to her bunk to find Loghain standing in the center of the room.  
   
“Maker’s breath, Loghain!” she nearly shouted, gripping at her chest in mock pain and genuine surprise. “You scared the shit outta me.”  
   
He merely stood there.  
   
“How did you get into the female quarters?” she asked, eyeing the man up. He was dressed in formal civilian attire, as though he was heading to a banquet.   
   
“As Chamberlain, I have access to many parts of the station,” he said cryptically.  
   
“Why are you here?” she asked a few moments later, when it became clear that he wasn’t going to divulge any more information.  
   
“I came to apologize,” he said. “I believe you misunderstood my intent back in the Rose. I didn’t mean to insult you, though it’s clear that I did.”  
   
Marian flushed in embarrassment, she already felt a fool, but now he was here apologizing.  
   
“I’d rather extend my own apologies, Chamberlain,” she quickly said, butting him off. “I misunderstood your intentions. The night hasn’t gone exactly smoothly.”  
   
“Is there anything I can help with?” he asked.  
   
Marian frowned. This wasn’t the first time that the Chamberlain had offered his support, he’d put spectres at her disposal and had even helped nurse her back to health after she’d been floored by the indoctrination.  
   
“You’re not my commanding officer yet, Mac Tir,” she said, closing the door behind her. “There’s no need for you to concern yourself with my well being. What is it that you want from me?”  
   
“Nothing,” he replied, far too quickly for Marian to believe his words.  
   
“How I am to trust you, when I turn myself over to the Wardens, if you won’t tell me the truth?”  
   
For a moment, the older man looked conflicted. She couldn’t read the emotions that flickered across his face fast enough. Then before she could stop him, Loghain had crossed the room, pinning Marian against the doorframe and pressed his lips to hers in a rough kiss.  
   
Marian’s eyes flew wide as Loghain’s body lined up with hers and his tongue swiped along her bottom lip. One of his hands trailed down her body and dug into her hips, while the other gripped the back of her neck. She couldn’t believe that this man, this galaxy-renowned hero, was making out with her like a teenaged boy.  
   
Heat spread through her body at every place where their clothing touched, and Marian sighed as his cologne wafted to her nose. She’d known the scent intimately from her time on the River Dane, but had never seen the slightest hint that the man who moaned into her mouth had even wanted to touch her.  
   
Her hands drifted of their own accord up his sides and gripped his hips pulling him close. For a few moments Marian allowed her mind to blank out everything except for the man’s touch. Loghain’s lips trailed along her jaw and down her neck, licking lightly at what was surely her rapidly racing pulse. His fingers running through her hair.  
   
The older man nipped and licked at the base of her neck and Marian moaned, unaware of her surroundings.  
   
“Loghain,” she murmured, her eyelids shut tightly.  
   
Then the tickle of another warden grew in her veins and Marian pulled away as best she could.  
   
Loghain looked up at her from the spot where he’d been leaving small bites along her collar bone. He looked upset, then realization fluttered across his features as she pushed him away from her.  
   
He straightened the jacket tails of his suit and Marian ran her fingers through her hair, hopefully calming the wild nest that surely had formed.  
   
“Come back to my ship with me,” he begged, whispering into her ear just seconds before the door to the barracks slid open.   
   
Marian turned to face the group of returning fleet members, among the women were Merrill, Lyna, and Bethany. Bethany  gave Marian a pointed look, having figured out exactly what had been going on in the barracks while she’d been alone.   
   
“Chamberlain Mac Tir,” the young elf said, breaking the silence. “It’s good to see you again.”  
   
“Good to see you,” he said, giving a nod to the innocent little elf.  
   
Silence settled into the room as the Warden glared at her. Out of the corner of her eye, Marian caught her sister with a shit-eating grin on her face.  
   
“You ladies have a nice night. I have a few more things to do before turning in.”  
   
“Captain,” Bethany began.  
   
“Director Guerrin has a few more things for me to take care of,” she said, partially lying to her sister.  
   
Bethany nodded, but didn’t look happy. Marian, determined to ignore it, turned to Merrill.  
   
“Sleep well. We leave port at 0800. All hands by 0730.”  
   
“Aye, Captain,” Merrill said, with a quick salute. “It was nice seeing you again.”  
   
“Likewise,” Loghain said, and dipped out of the room before Marian could escape herself.  
   
“Hawke,” Lyna called out.  
   
“We have three new guests joining us on the ship. I’ll be calling a meeting first thing in order to get them introduced.”  
   
“Of course,” Bethany said.  
   
Before the woman could say anything else, Marian raced out of the room.  
   
Glancing around the hall, Marian saw that the Chamberlain had disappeared. She frowned, unsure if he’d taken her words to be truth or if he’d be waiting for her in his ship as he’d begged her to join him.  
   
Worrying her lip, Marian pondered her situation. As she walked down the hall, Marian had a feeling that the moment had passed, that the heat that had been between them in those few moments couldn’t be rekindled.  Instead of heading toward the docks, Marian headed for a nearby Grill and Bar, to drink away some of the embarrassment of the night. Much as she wants to do some work, Marian hides away in the back corner of the Bar and nurses a drink until the establishment closes and she wanders to the Lothering, counting the minutes until the ship is unlocked.  
   
   
The next afternoon the Lothering and the rest of her small Thedosian fleet finds themselves at the Sol Relay completely cut off from the comm. bouys in the system.  
   
“All frequencies are scrambled,” Merrill shouted from her station behind the radar. “We can’t even hail our own ships.”  
   
“Keep trying,” Marian ordered, then smashed the alarm on the console before her.   
   
“This is a Code Red alert,” she said over the intra-ship comm. unit. “The ship has lost contact with every member of the fleet. Assume Reapers are active in the area. Until further notice, all hands report to your stations.”  
   
The Relay had dropped them near the furthest planet in the system, the blue gaseous planet of Neptune. They had nearly 30 AU to cross before reaching Earth.  
   
“Varric, I need the last communication between us and the Shepard’s fleet. Get me location, time, length of call, anything.  
   
“Engage stealth drives, get rid of all heat signatures, we’re going in dark.   
   
“Bethany, get us to Earth as quickly as possible; but keep an eye out for those damned Reapers.  
   
“Fenris, we need the ship’s cannons armed and ready. And what in the Maker’s name happened to the Geth, Turian, and Quarian fleets? Shouldn’t we have had warning?”  
   
The next half hour passed far too quickly as Bethany and her team of navigators moved the ship toward Earth. It wasn’t until they reached Luna base that Marian spotted the first of the Reaper Capital Ships hovering outside the earthen atmosphere.  
   
“Any luck with the fleet?” she asked Varric through the radio. Seekers Pentaghast and Lay stood at her side just a couple steps back from Marian’s console.   
   
She’d nearly forgoteen that they’d been on the ship until the taller woman came up beside her asking if they could help some ten minutes ago.  
   
The Arishok stood nearby; his eyes open wide as the ship gained its first glance at the Reaper fleet. And a fleet it was. Marian guessed at least two hundred Sovereign class ships sat in orbit around the planet. The Quarians had named these ships Capital ships, the largest of the Reaper fleets. And somewhere in that mess was the other half of her fleet.  
   
“Not yet,” he growled out. “But I have the intel on the Normandy you wanted.”  
   
“Go ahead,” she ordered.   
   
“They checked in 13.25 hours ago. Repairs had been completed at that point. They were going to enter the atmosphere at 0800 SGT and hold in orbit until we arrived. Comm backlog recorded ten seconds of static at 0642. Then all communications from the Sol systems were knocked out. I’m guessing that’s when the Reapers arrived.”  
   
“And our warning system of fleets?”  
   
“My best guess is that the Reapers engaged them in battle in dark space or blocked comms just before they entered Sol.”  
   
“Okay,” she said, her mind racing.”We’ve done all of this in practice, Ladies and Gentleman. Now it’s time to put those hours of training to good use.”  
   
“Varric will be working on restoring communication. I want each one of the teams scanning radio, FTL comms, QEC, everything. We need word from Earth or we need to contact the Citadel. Reserve at least one terminal for direct link with the Normandy. As soon as they get through, patch the Major into my console.  
   
“Hopefully Mahariel and Theirin’s ships will be moving into attack formation, I need navigation to look out for their pings. We need to be at their side when they begin the attack.”  
   
 “Why do we not just attack?” the Arishok asked. “The enemy is right here.”  
   
“Without communications our ships are flying blind. The Lothering may be a large ship but it cannot even hope to survive a one-on-one fight with these Capital ships.”  
   
Marian looked at the fleet of Reapers and weighed their options. It wasn’t guaranteed that they could reach this London supercity that Varric spoke about, but if they could get close enough to bounce off any local comm. towers maybe they could get a message to the Normandy.  
   
“Stealth Systems report?”  
   
“Everything is nominal and on the line,” the technician called out.  
   
“Flight, take us into London,” she said. “Let’s see if we can raise the Normandy. Maybe even take out a few forces fighting topside.”  
   
“Aye Captain,” Bethany called out.   
   
“Fenris, how’re the cannons looking?”  
   
“Armed and Ready.”  
   
“Keep your men ready for my order.”  
   
The ship sailed through space; seemingly effortlessly they swirled and banked around the Reaper ships. The upgrades to the system were already paying off.  
   
“Merrill, at the first sign of force fields, or tractor beams, or any other unknown pulses from the Reapers, you announce it, understand?”   
   
Marian couldn’t help but hold her breath as they passed the first capital ship. She didn’t think a single person in the CIC was speaking as they moved around the second ship. Inertial dampeners kept the ship from the free fall into the atmosphere that used to occur in space flight, but Marian couldn’t help that flutter as she watched the window brighten with atmospheric colors of flame.  
   
Marian watched on her console as the ship dodged incoming reaper ships. It seemed as though no ships were leaving the system. Marian wondered if they would be stuck once they arrived or if their stealth engine would be enough to get them free. Though she’d never admit it, Marian began to feel tremors of fear that she was leading her men to their deaths.  
   
“Hawke,” Varric said, when they were still five minutes from their destination. “I’m picking up Alliance Systems radio chatter.”  
   
“See if you can pinpoint the location.”   
   
Twenty seconds passed.  
   
“I got something you’ll want to hear,” Varric announced, then flipped on the loudspeaker at his desk.  
   
“This is the TSV Lothering,” he said, “What’s your location?”  
   
“Lothering, it’s good to hear from you again,” Joker’s familiar voice called back. “I’ve picked up the newly promoted Admiral Shepard and we’ve done a few sweeps of the city. The Reapers are hitting us hard.  
   
“Joker, this is Captain Hawke. All comms outside the atmosphere are down from here to the Relay. I suggest getting all fleets back to the Citadel. We can regroup from there.”  
   
“But Earth is being hit now,” Joker growled.   
   
“I understand that. But we need to get all the fleets into formation if we want to take these bastards down and we can’t do that from here.”  
   
“What about the Lothering, how’d you get here?”   
   
“The stealth systems have held until now, but if we don’t get out of here soon, the Reapers are sure to catch on. There are at least two hundred capital ships incoming.”  
   
“Shit,” the pilot said, cursing over the comms.   
   
“I haven’t heard anything from the fleet yet, but you know my teams are working on hacks for the bouys.”  
   
“Hawke,” Shepard said, breaking up the chatter. “We’ll meet up on the Citadel. You and I have to speak to the council and the rest of the fleet can regroup in Citadel space. Admiral Anderson is leading the soldiers on the ground, there wasn’t enough time to get all the civilians off-planet”  
   
“Do you need us to clear the way, Shepard?” Marian asked.   
   
“No, don’t break stealth unless absolutely necessary. As nice as it would be to take out a few of these ships, we need to ensure our arrival at the Citadel more.”  
   
“Aye, Admiral,” she said. “We’ll see you there.”  
   
Marian gave the orders and within minutes they were rushing out of Earth’s atmosphere and toward the relay.   
   
It took a little over two hours to reach the Citadel, the engines were being worked hard while the stealth systems were engaged and to keep a catastrophic failure from occurring, Marian had ordered sub-FTL flight until they reached the Relay.   
   
When the popped back into Citadel space, Marian was surprised to see that the Citadel hadn’t been attacked itself. If that was the case, maybe it was possible that the other homeworlds and colonies weren’t being hit as well.  
   
After the Lothering docked, Marian received a ping from Chamberlain Loghain requesting an audience at her earliest convenience. She wasn’t quite sure what was going on there, but since she’d already told Cassandra to accompany her to the Council chambers, along with Varric and the Arishok, Marian ignored the message for now.  
   
Marian and John strode into the council chambers together, flanked by their team mates and esteemed guests. Just before they reached the podiums, Marian told the soldiers and politicians to wait while the council addressed Shepard and herself.  
   
Thankfully, they all stayed back as Marian and John walked to the rising podium.  
   
“Ladies and Gentlemen of the Council, the Reapers have arrived within Council Space,” John began. “At approximately 0700 SGT communications went down. The Systems Alliance lost radio contact with Mars and Luna within minutes of each other. Scrambling to get teams ready, we were unable to stop them as intended. Captain Hawke and her Warden companions entered Sol space at approximately 0915 to an entire system of downed comm. bouys. Just before we exited Sol space at approximately 1030, my ship was able to re-establish communications with some of the more secure lines of radio contact within the Systems Alliance. I would guess that it will take another twelve hours or so to get the back-up systems online. At this time we are not sure if this is an isolated incident or if it is a mere side effect of the Reaper tech within range of the bouys.  
   
The Reapers attacked with a fleet of 273 Capital Ships and at least double that in transports and destroyers as reported to us from the Quarian and Turian fleets.”  
   
“This is grave,” Turian Councilor Sparatus said. “Communications to Palaven went down a few hours back as well.”  
   
“It stands to reason that Reapers have gone on to attack homeworlds then,” Shepard said. “Have there been any reports about Sur’kesh or Thessia yet?”   
   
Marian caught a flicker of fear in Councilor Trevos’ features just before she schooled her face to be impassive once more.  
   
“No reports yet.”  
   
“What about the Crucible?”  
   
“It’s still a month or two from being completed, and we seem to still be missing a crucial piece to construction.”  
   
“Then we will need to face them head on in order to keep their attacks to a minimum,” Shepard said.   
   
“I suppose it is time to unveil our battle plan,” Trevos said. “We will call all fleet captains back to the Citadel and discuss this without use of the bouys.”  
   
“What about Earth and Palaven?” John asked, bristling at Marian’s side.  
   
“I’m sure your people are doing what they can, but we’d hoped to have a little more time to get the fleets in line. The Council will not allow our ships to go rogue in the appearance of the Reapers. We have a plan and we will stick to it.”  
   
Marian reached out slightly and allowed her fingers to brush against John’s hand, hoping to placate him.  
   
“The Reapers attacked the protheans for decades before they were wiped out. A couple of weeks will not make a difference.”  
   
“It does to the people fighting down there,” John answered, managing somehow to keep from exploding in anger.  
   
“Be that as it may, a hundred thousand lives is a mere fraction of a percentage of the trillions you are trying to save.”  
   
John let loose a low growl but kept his mouth shut.  
   
“How long will it take to get the captains back?”  
   
“Three or four days,” Trevos  said.  
   
“What are we to do in the meantime?”  
   
“You are to patrol Citadel space, and ensure that this station remains protected. The work that your fleet has done to rid the galaxy of The Illusive Man and his plans has done wonders. Our forces have almost doubled since word spread that Cerberus was now repurposed into a galactic peace keeping operation.”  
   
Marian nodded in thanks. It was rare to hear the council praise their team for anything.  
   
“Go back to your ships, make sure you have all the materials you need, set up radio chatter if you need. Just be prepared to protect the Citadel if it should come to pass that the Reapers attempt to advance on the station.”  
   
It was clear to see that they’d been dismissed. Marian and John headed back to their team and just as they exited the chambers, marian’s omni-tool buzzed with a message.  
   
“Come to my chambers immediately. I may have something that will help.  
-Trevos”  
   
Marian glanced at John, who raised an eyebrow back to Marian.   
   
“Something she’s keeping from the others,” he questioned.  
   
“No doubt.”  
   
The duo trekked to the Asari’s offices, weary of what the woman had to say, dismissing the team members who’d gone with them to the Council Chambers. They were to relay the message back to their fleet while Marian and John took care of whatever it was Trevos had.  
   
“Thank you for coming so quickly,” she said, having somehow managed to beat them to her offices. “What I’m going to tell you is told under the strictest of confidentiality.”  
   
She ushered them away from the doorway.  
   
“If the Reapers are attacking homeworlds as you suggested in the meeting, then we may not have a lot of time.”  
   
Marian frowned.  
   
“The asari have committed a crime against the rest of the galaxy.”  
   
Marian frowned, looking at Shepard briefly, but kept her mouth shut.   
   
“We have hidden a prothean artifact within one of our temples. The Temple of Athame has been the secret location for the artifact for millennia.”  
   
“Why haven’t you bothered to bring this up before?” John asked, anger coloring his cheeks.  
   
“The Asari Republic, those who know about the artifact, has been incredibly persistent that this artifact is not known by anyone.”  
   
“Such a find a few thousand years ago,” Marian commented. “Surely it helped your people advance well beyond evolutionary standards.”  
   
Trevos nodded.   
   
“Until the last couple of years, it was thought that the artifact could remain a secret. But now, perhaps it’s better that the truth come out, just a little.”  
   
“So, why are you telling us this?”  
   
“Because,” Trevos said. “I want your fleet to retrieve the information from the artifact. If it can indeed help with the fight, then I want you to see that we are willing to risk this breech in order to save the galaxy. Understand, that this is still a highly classified mission. The other councilor’s have no knowledge about this artifact. And I’d like it to remain so, for no other reason than the upheaval it could cause. Perhaps we will come forward at a later time, but for now, you simply need to get the data from the artifact.”  
   
“The backlash from this,”  
   
“Could destroy everything we’ve been working for. I know. I’ve already sanctioned a team of scientists to begin work on the artifact. But we need you and your team, Shepard.”  
   
“For the cipher?” Shepard asked.  
   
“You have been through every other important step in this fight. You might have knowledge that the rest of us don’t have, even though you’ve only lived a fraction of our lifespans.”  
   
“This just doesn’t make any sense,” John frowned.  
   
“Just go, please,” Trevos asked. “And take your Prothean friend with you. He may be of great help.”  
   
Shepard nodded.   
   
“Fine, we’ll go on this mission.”  
   
“If the Reapers are hitting homeworlds, I suggest you take the entire fleet. You may need some protection out there.”


	24. Chapter 24

Marian bent over checking the clasps of her armor as Bethany announced their arrival into Thessia’s airspace. 

“There’s a good number of Reapers out there,” she noted over the comm. “But not nearly as many that hit Earth.”

“Thanks,” Marian said, responding to her sister as she snapped her helmet into place. 

For a minute she wondered about how the Thedosian space was holding up. Though their home planet was no longer livable, there were still plenty of colonies in the solar system and there were billions of elves, dwarves, humans, and qunari living on those worlds.

“Just like everywhere else in the Maker-damned galaxy,” she muttered, waiting impatiently at the airlock.

“Marian,” Bethany said, this time into her earpiece. “We can’t raise the scientist team that the Councilor put us in contact with.”

Marian groaned.

“Is the Normandy having the same issues?”

“Yes,” her sister replied.

“Just get us as close as you can, the ground teams will cover the distance to the target.”

“Of course,” Bethany replied.

Marian glanced around the shuttle bay. 

“We’ll have to foot it,” she said.

With her, waiting for the Lothering to get close enough to the atmosphere for them to be able to use the shuttles, were Seeker Pentaghast and Varric. He’d been understandably upset when the newbie had been invited on this mission, but Marian had impressed upon her friend that they were here to help.

The comm. crackled open and Shepard’s voice filled her ear. 

“We’ve been delayed,” he said. “Go head and head toward the temple without us. We won’t be far behind.”

“Delayed, how?”

“I had to answer a summons from Hackett. We won’t be long. I’ll have Joker drop us as close as we can.”

“See you there, Shepard,” Marian said, as the VI announced their arrival at the pad.

The LZ was swarming with husks, the blue glowing bodies racing toward the asari protecting the ground.

“Spectre Hawke,” one of the asari said, rushing toward Marian, “I’m Lieutenant Kurin. I’m not sure why you’re here, but the priority message I received said that you and Shepard were to be escorted to the Temple, as soon as you arrive.”

“Yes,” Marian said, ignoring the buzz of a nearby reaper. The planet was covered with them, her Warden senses were overwhelmed and would be of little use here. 

“Spectre Shepard is running a bit behind. He will join us soon.”

“I’ll leave a squadron here to wait for Shepard.”  The asari looked behind Marian for a moment. “I’ve been ordered to protect this sector and we’re in danger of losing an entire platoon.”

“It’s important that we get to the Temple,” Marian said. 

“We’ll get you there,” Lieutenant said. “Even if it costs us our lives.”

Kurin walked over to a mechanic working on a gunship. 

“I need you to get into the air, give us cover.”

“Aye,” the mechanic said.

“The battle’s just beginning,” Kurin said, turning to look at Marian. 

“It is, but we have a chance to save billions if you get us to that temple. If you don’t, we all face extinction.”

“The propaganda is true then, about the Reapers?”

“You see them in the sky,” Marian said, glancing up. “They want to exterminate all sentient life for their damned cycle. We intend on stopping them and we need your help.”

“Fine,” Kurin nodded. “We’ll leave in five.”

The asari turned, shouting orders at her soldiers.

“Cassandra,” Marian said, turning to her new team member. “I’ll need you to be at my six for the fighting. I have a feeling it’s going to be a rough hike over to the temple.”

“At your command,” the woman said, nodding. 

“Open up the gates,” the asari commando ordered, and one of the soldiers lifted the sheet metal with the wave of her hand. The metal lifted with the blue glow of biotics and the asari general ducked under, making waving motions back at Marian. 

“Let’s go.”

Almost immediately, they were attacked by rushing husks. Marian drew on her biotics, enhanced by the Warden bond, and threw out a shockwave. The blasts shot out in a twenty foot line in front of her, knocking down the three or four frontal advancing creatures.

Beside her, the clearly military-trained woman activated her omniblade and began slashing away at the rapidly advancing husks.

“No gun?” Marian asked, glancing quickly at her partner to ensure that the woman did actually have a weapon on her.

“I prefer close range fighting,” the woman grunted. “It seems more effective. And there are always plenty of warriors with guns.”

They fought side by side, Marian picking off the advancing husks and Cassandra altering her stance in order to protect her flank. 

The other woman was actually quite skilled in hand to hand combat and it impressed Marian.

“Remind me to ask about your training sometime,” she shouted above the sound of her pistol.

When the group of husks finally cleared off or had been killed, they continued to follow the Commando.

A shriek filled the air, as they climbed over some debris headed for a corridor.

“Get down,” the asari shouted, and Marian grabbed cover, spinning around and searching for the source of the ear-splitting sound.

“Hawke, I’ve just landed at the LZ,” Shepard said through their connected channel. 

Some one hundred feet from where she took cover, Marian spotted the elongated form of what had to be an asari-turned husk. The fingers of its crest looked sharper than blades as the female-form moved closer.

“Get your ass down here,” Marian said, whispering into her helm. “We’ve got company.”

“Spectre,” the Commando said. “They jump forward, in a teleporting manner. We need to kill it now.”

Marian gave the asari a firm nod, drawing on the biotics within her and preparing a shockwave to stagger the woman.

She looked over to see Cassandra primed and ready to run out into melee.

“Ready?” 

The dark-haired woman gave a return nod, her form bouncing slightly as she waited for the command.

The beast shrieked and Cassandra and the Commando raced forward.

Marian stood up, releasing her biotic energy. The blue blur hit the asari-husk in the chest, but it didn’t do as she’d expected.

A bullet from Varric’s sniper rifle hit the husk in the face.

The husk shrieked, searching for the source of the hit, and Marian drew on her biotics again.

Marian slammed back into a wall, the world going blue and suddenly she saw the mouth of the asari-husk opening wide, as if it wanted to eat her face.

She fired off the biotics, the eezo still within reach of her abilities, blasting it into the husk’s stomach.

It stumbled back, then gunfire filled the air.

The creature fell to its knees before collapsing. Into unconsciousness or death, Marian wasn’t sure, but she pulled out her pistol and fired a few rounds into its head.

“Maker,” she cried out in disgust. “That thing—“

“We call them Banshees,” the Commando said, walking toward her.

“Are you alright, Hawke?”

Marian looked over to see Shepard, his asari companion Liara, and the geth, Legion, making their way over.

“I didn’t know Legion had returned,” she said, glancing at the geth unit. 

“With many of our units destroyed, the consensus agreed to return to Shepard-Commander’s vessel.”

“I thought about bringing Javik,” Shepard said, “but he’s with your warden companions still.”

Marian nodded. 

“I should have thought about that,” she said, feeling guilty. 

“Let’s keep moving,” the commando said, waving them to join her. “The temple’s nearby.”

It took them an hour to fight their way through the swarms of husks and banshees and even a flying harvester that exploded in a shower of flesh and light when they’d finally killed it. Varric had complained that they’d be cleaning out reaper guts out of the armor for weeks. 

“Now’s not the time, Varric,” she said, glancing over at her second. He shrugged, looking at her as if he were sorry but he’d just wanted to cut the tension.

Marian gave him a nod in return and looked up to see the temple just ahead of them.

Kurin walked up with Liara to the console, quickly keying in an entry code and dropping the eezo barrier.

“It was a military-grade encryption, what is being protected in there?” Kurin asked.

“We’re not entirely sure,” Shepard admitted.

“I’ll stand guard,” Cassandra said. 

“I will join the Pentaghast-Seeker,” Legion said, stepping up to the other side of the doorway.

Shepard led the way inside, the Lieutenant breaking off to join Cassandra and Legion at the doorway while Marian raced in behind him.

“There’s no one here,” Shepard said. “Where are our scientists?”

“Let’s look around,” Marian instructed.

They walked around the temple and found the bodies of a couple of asari scientists.

“Their throats were cut,” Liara said. “No reaper would do that.”

“Let’s find the artifact,” Shepard said.

Marian walked the perimeter of the temple, the faint reaper signal buzzing in her ears as it had done since they’d arrived.

“There’s a prothean beacon here.”

Marian glanced over her shoulder to see Shepard standing near the altar. 

“What, you’re sure?” Liara asked.

Marian took a a few steps forward, feeling the signal growing louder.

“There’s definitely something here,” she said. “It feels like Object Rho.”

Marian glanced over at Varric, who grimaced.

“Why keep it hidden?” Liara asked.

“You’re people have hidden a lot over the millennia,” Marian said. “it would certainly explain their quick rise in galactic power. Something like this—“

“You accuse my people of—“

“Keeping secrets, yes, I do,” Marian said, the buzz in her head getting louder.

A hand dropped on her shoulder, her head snapping over to look at the intrusion. Shepard stood beside her, concern in his eyes.

“I apologize,” she said, taking a deep breath. The nanites were reacting to the proximity of the beacon, she thought.

“Well, Shepard,” she continued, feeling her head clear a bit. “Let’s activate this thing.”

“The little data I have,” Liara said, “talks about accessing data matrixes. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Maybe that’s the point,” Shepard replied, walking up to one of the artifacts along the edge of the altar.

He reached out and touched the stone and a beam of light shot out from the artifact and into the statue of the goddess Athame.

“Spread out, look for more connections,” he said.

Marian walked over to the nearest artifact, pulling off her glove and  touching her fingers to the marbled bust of a prothean’s head.

When nothing happened, Marian glanced over at Shepard. 

“We may be the only ones capable of activating it. I sense the beacon’s presence.”

“Everyone stand guard,” Shepard said. “Marian, search the room. Hopefully this won’t take long.”

With each activated artifact the buzz grew louder as they walked through the temple. 

Then, Marian touched another prothean bust and a green light shot out from the stone, finally cracking and splitting the statue at the altar and revealing the beacon within.

“That did it,” Liara said. “We need to hurry. This place isn’t going to—“

Marian glanced up to see a VI drone coming from the beacon and floating down to the floor.

“Updating chronological marker. Time scale established. Post-prothean cycle confirmed. 

“What are you?” Shepard asked.

The drone-like device rose in the air.  
   
“Reaper presence detected. This galactic cycle is nearing its terminus. System’s shutting down.”

“Not so fast,” Shepard said.

Marian activated Keeper IV on her ‘tool.

“Gather data,” she ordered, murmuring the words.

Her drone flew through the air toward the beacon even as the prothean beacon protested.

“Indoctrinated presence confirmed.”

“No,” Marian said, nearly shouting. “We’ve discovered a way to counteract the indoctrination.”

“We need answers.”

“To what question,” the VI responded.

“The catalyst. We need to know how to finish the crucible.”

“Unable to access with indoctrinated presence.”

“I’ll go,” Marian said. “Just get the data.”

Off near the beacon, Keeper IV exploded in a show of eezo sparks.

“This unit will not be copied,” it very nearly growled.

“My apologies,” she said. “We merely wished to gather the information before you decided to shutdown.”

“Marian,” Shepard said, his voice taking on an annoyed tone.

“I’m leaving,” she said, turning on her heel and walking toward Cassandra and Legion still standing at the entrance.

She couldn’t hear what the VI was saying, the volume being too low while firefights continued outside.

“We’ve got incoming,” Cassandra shouted, just as a group of armored soldiers rose up over a ledge.

Marian frowned, seeing the woman pulling out her pistol.

“But they’re—“ she started.

“Elven mercenaries,” Cassandra shouted. “They’re here for the data.”

Marian grabbed her gun and began firing at the quickly approaching mercenaries.

On the other side of her, Legion began shooting at the incoming men and women.

“I don’t understand,” she shouted, loosing a rain of gunfire.

“They call themselves ‘Fen’harel’s Agents’,” the seeker shouted. “We’ve been dodging their attacks for months.”

Marian gathered the eezo in her body and sent out a shockwave, toppling three of the incoming mercenaries.

“Pentaghast-Seeker, do you wish to take one in for questioning?” the geth called out.

“If they don’t kill themselves first,” she said, shooting her gun into the incoming targets.

In the distance, Marian spotted a gunship flying toward them.

“Incoming,” she shouted, unable to discern if the vessel was friendly or foe. The design, the wings curved upwards rather than down like many gunships, was unfamiliar.

“It’s the creators,” Legion called out.

She shot a look at the geth, wondering who in the Maker’s name the creators were.

Gunfire rained down from the sky, but targeted the elven mercenaries instead of Marian and her team. 

“At  least they seem friendly,” she said, some minutes later as the gunship landed.

The door opened and a quarian, in full armor, stepped out of the gunship followed by a familiar figure.

“Tali?”

“Hawke,” the woman responded. Even through the modulators, Marian could hear the smile in the quarian’s voice. 

“What are you doing here?”

“Shepard sent word that he might need help,” the quarian explained. “This is Kal’Reegar, our unit was in the area.”

“A pleasure,” Marian said. “But how did you find us?”

“Legion sent your coordinates, said you were in trouble.”

“We will be if we can’t get the VI to cooperate,” she said, glancing over at her shoulder. “I think it has the information we need, but won’t give it to us.”

“If anyone can convince the VI to give us information it will be Liara,” Tali said, the joke filtering through her voice.

“I think you may be right about that,” Marian said, with a smile.

“There is a group of hostiles incoming,” Legion announced, and Marian and the others turned to face their foe.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus begins the section of my story that I HAVEN'T been sitting on for two years. Some five or so chapters to go, with the possibility of a sequel. Haven't quite decided that part yet :)

Marian rubbed her shoulder, sitting in the cockpit in the co-pilot’s seat, watching as the ship headed toward the mass relay. Her sister had called her up to the cockpit hours ago and they’d been chatting quietly, reminiscing on long ago childhood memories.   
   
It had been months since the two of them had spent any significant time together. Since the collector ship had tried to attack Genitivi’s dig site there’d been no time to indulge in any sort of sisterly bonding. She’d booked herself some time as their ship raced toward Thedosian space, where the latest Reaper arrivals had begun terrorizing the colonies.   
   
Shepard had been willing to come along with their small fleet of vessels. The asari  councilor hadn’t exactly been happy, but with the information about the catalyst being datamined from the VI on Thessia there was little else for them to do.  
   
“You ever going to tell me about you and Loghain?”  
   
Marian started, her vision swimming as she snapped her head toward her sister.  
   
“What do you mean?” she asked, swallowing hard and hoping Bethany didn’t see the flush on her cheeks.   
   
“Don’t bother trying to hide it,” her sister teased, wiping her hand across the terminal and clearing away the holographic displays.  
   
“I don’t know,” she admitted, her heart picking up its beat. “I don’t know what’s happening.”  
   
“Marian.” The concern in her sister’s voice was evident even as Marian kept her eyes on her hands.   
   
“He’s a friend,” she said, thinking aloud. “But more. And after the war, I will be a Warden and will have to serve under his command. And yet, I know he--”  
   
Movement caught her attention and Marian watched as her sister climbed out of the pilot’s seat and walked over.  
   
“Do you like him?”  
   
Marian nodded.   
   
“But I’m half his age,” she started.  
   
“Who the hell cares,” Bethany insisted. “He clearly doesn’t, and it’s about time you got a little action.”  
   
Marian cut her eyes at her little sister.  
   
“You’re speaking like you have experience in this matter.”  
   
“I do have a partner,” her sister said, hedging her words. “This is a stressful time, we are battling big space monsters that want to wipe out  life. Or at the very least all space-faring life. Now’s the time we should be looking for comfort and enjoying what we have because, Maker, we don’t know if we’ll have a life after today.”  
   
Silence drifted over Marian and she looked at her sister, suddenly impressed with the grown up attitude that she displayed.  
   
“When did you get such a level head?”  
   
“When you were busy being un-indoctrinated,” her sister said, giving a laugh.  
   
“About that,” Marian said, trying to figure out what she should say.  
   
“Don’t bother,” Bethany said, waving her hand. “I asked Anora about it after the attack on the Citadel. I know the Wardens are big on their secrets, but she told me enough to be able to infer the rest.”  
   
Marian flinched.   
   
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I should have found time to come talk to you.”  
   
“I understand,” Bethany said, though the hurt was still written on her face when Marian finally looked up at her sister. “But you’ve been protected now and you’re safe, so I can’t be all that angry at you.”  
   
“Carver and Garrett might have something to say,” Marian pointed out.  
   
“Eh, screw ‘em,” Bethany said, a smile appearing on her features.   
   
The Mass Relay proximity warning light flashed and Bethany turned toward her console again, keying up her interface and prepping the ship to hit the relay. The small fleet was headed for Thedosian space where the Reapers had been reported as newly arrived. The Council had given Hawke and her team leave to monitor the situation and report back.   
   
“Approaching the Relay in thirty seconds,” her sister said, wiping away various screens and entering code into her main terminal.  
   
Marian turned to look out at the massive piece of technology that loomed in front of them. It was a sight she’d seen hundreds of times and still it made a shudder course down her spine.  
   
The branches of eezo stretched out to grab their ship and Marian reached out to hold onto the console nearby even though she was seated.  
   
For a moment the cockpit glowed blue and the ship gave the tiniest of lurches before they appeared on the other side of the relay.   
   
Marian let go of her breath.  
   
“Wimp,” her sister muttered, though there was laughter in her voice.  
   
“Drift of 200k,” she said, checking the readouts. “That could have been closer.”  
   
Marian shrugged. Anything within 400K range was acceptable in her eyes. It was theorized, at least from what Bethany had told her, that once their technology could replicate the relays themselves, the drift from the jump would be virtually eliminated. Marian wasn’t sure, the math went well over her comprehension, but Bethany had explained it enough times that she was beginning to grasp the concept.   
   
If only they survived the Reapers.  
   
“We should reach Thedosian airspace in a few hours. You’re welcome to stay up here if you want.”  
   
Marian glanced over at her sister.  
   
“I think that sounds fine.”  
   
Pain lanced through her head and Marian screwed her eyes shut, covering them with her eyes. There was no questioning that there were a lot of Reapers in the system and they were no doubt causing havoc on the Thedosian colonies in the system. She only hoped they would be able to do some good while here.  
   
The sound of subbed leather caught her attention and Marian looked up to see Bethany shifting in her seat, straightening her shoulders, immediately alerting Marian to the fact that something wasn’t right.  
   
“What is it?”  
   
“Shit,” Bethany said, slamming her hand down on the console. “Battle stations,” she shouted.  
   
Marian burst out of her seat and caught what had confused her sister. Just outside of the windows were at least four capital sized ships headed directly for them.   
   
She should have known.  
   
“Shit, shit, shit,” Bethany muttered, fingers flying over the console as she took control over the autopilot function.  
   
Marian reached over and hit the alarm. Their ship wasn’t military grade, but they’d had some upgrades since the showdown against the collector ship all those months ago.  
   
“Can you get word to the rest of the fleet?” she asked, thinking about the other ships that were currently inbound.  
   
“Comms are blocked while in transit and no bouys are active,” Bethany said, glancing over her shoulder. “They’ll get the surprise same as us. The Normandy is likely in the middle of the eezo field at this very moment.”  
   
Marian grimaced and ran out of the cockpit to get a sitrep from the crew on duty.  
   
She felt the first shudder of a cannon blast ripple through the deck. At least, she thought, it seemed the crew was ready for action.  
   
“What’s going on?”  
   
She glanced over to see Seeker Cassandra and Varric running across the deck from the elevators.  
   
“Reapers headed our way, like they were waiting for us.”   
   
Another cannon blast rippled under her boots and Marian reached for a bar to keep her steady.   
   
“We can’t outrun them,” Cassandra said.  
   
“No, but we can fight, we just need backup from the rest of the fleet,” Marian admitted. “With the human ships, Alfstanna, and our wardens, we should be able to fight them back a bit and get reorganized.”  
   
It took mere minutes for the crew to get settled in their posts, Marian directing the fight, powering up the EMP and bugging Varric to get a channel open to their fleet of ships.  
   
“I’m headed to the cockpit,” she said, glancing over at Varric when she realized she was the only one not in full-gear.   
   
The dwarf nodded, stepping up to take her vacated post from the command center, as much as a private ship could have a command center anyway.  
   
She sent out a ship wide alert requesting all staff not already suited up to get that way. Marian did not want the ship’s hull to suffer damage and turn the ship into a vacuum, killing her friends.   
   
The Lothering banked as Marian opened the emergency armory near the cockpit, grabbing a helmet and pulling it over her head. It didn’t take long to snap it into place, she was just glad that she’d been wearing armor in preparation for fighting on the ground with the teams when they reached the colonies in question.  
   
“Maker’s Breath!”   
   
Marian looked around the armory door only to see remnants of an explosion outside the window, the fires dying out almost instantly.  
   
“Who?” she asked, mind racing, trying to remember if she’d any of their ships just after the relay. Who had been behind them in the queue?  
   
“The Quaking Seas,” Bethany said, concentrating on a rolling maneuver.   
   
The bright light of cannon fire shot past the windows and Marian ordered her sister to outrun the damned bastards, ignoring the sudden pain in her chest.  
   
She turned on her heel and raced down the corridor, seeing the rest of her team scrambling to get their gear sealed for protection.  
   
“Varric, see if you can ping any escape pods from Alfstanna’s ship.”  
   
Her friend’s face blanched before he turned to his console and began typing furiously into the terminal.  
   
“We need to get out of here,” she muttered, stepping up to Varric’s side. “We’re like fish in a barrel.”  
   
“What are we going to do? Outrun them?”   
   
Marian wheeled around to see Fenris standing shocked behind her.  
   
“Load the escape pods,” she said, reaching for a nearby handhold while her sister twisted the ship. “Get everyone in them. Without aid, we’re screwed.”  
   
Fenris nodded and turned on his heel, taking his orders and initiating the evacuation procedures.  
   
“We’ve got company,” Bethany called out.  
   
“Friend or foe?” Marian asked, unsure what emotions she read in her sister’s tone.  
   
“Blue suns?”  
   
“I’m getting a request to call from Bray,” Varric said.  
   
“Aria’s men. They’re friendlies, ” Marian paused  for a beat. “I think.”  
   
The battle raged for hours as they dodged the reaper weaponry. When Varric managed to reconnect the fleet, Shepard lead the formation, taking on the commanding officer role and guided them to victory against the five reapers that had left their attack on the colonies to fight the ships that had entered the system.  
   
It was well after midnight when the Lothering limped through the relays back to the Citadel. Aria’s mercenaries had gone back to Omega and Shepard declared the system lost unless they got help.  
   
Marian unclasped her helmet and threw it onto the bed in her private quarters. The two warden ships, having sustained less damage than the Lothering, were staying behind to do a little reconnaissance in the Thedosian system to see about survivors after the attack.   
   
Varric had, he’d told her, picked up on a few distress beacons, but their ship was far too damaged to risk another pass through the Reaper terriroties. The Lothering along with a few of the other ships had been forced to leave their people behind.  
   
She ran her fingers through her hair and collapsed into her office chair, unwilling to look at the terminal that flashed with unread messages.  
   
“hawke,” Varric said over the PA, “You’ve got a priority message from the Council. I tried to stall them but—“  
   
“It’s alright,” she said, taking a breath. “I’ll talk to them.”  
   
Marian reached over and turned on the terminal, the static-filled image of Councilor Tevos appeared  before her.  
   
“I just got off a call with Spectre Shepard,” the asari said, her face grim.  
   
“We didn’t have a shot,” Marian said, her stomach rolling. “They had a frontline of Reapers waiting for interfereance from the relay.”  
   
“They’re changing tactics,” the councilor replied, giving her a nod.  
   
“Do you have any word on the completion of the weapon?”  
   
“It will be soon,” she responded. “The council is ordering you back to the Citadel to debrief and repair. We’ve sent a few of our own forces to help retrieve your lost team members. Both you and Shepard are being asked to meet with your respective councilors when you arrive and we will prepare for the final battle from there.”  
   
Marian nodded.   
   
“At least it will be over soon.”  
   
“We can’t guarantee that,” the asari admitted. “But things are progressing well between our allied armies. We’ll see you at the Citadel soon.”  
   
Marian barely had time to acknowledge the asari’s dismissal before the terminal went dark.   
   
Her head throbbed, the touch of the Reapers still burned.  
   
Not wanting to face the realities of the fight and knowing there was nothing she could do as they headed back to the government’s center, Marian peeled off her armor and collapsed onto bed.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a few chapters left. To be honest, there's at least 10-12 more chapters outlined, bringing the Inquisition storyline into Mass Effect, but I've run out of steam on this story so figured I should call it quits around the time the ME/Shepard story ends like the ME1-3 series. 
> 
> Do keep reading to the end, and if you want the sequel, let me know. This was just all written about two years ago and now that I've been through two writers symposiums and some private lessons, I really want to share my knew skills rather than resting on old works that were, let's face it, not that great. :)

Chapter 26  
When Marian woke up next, she knew that they were docked at the Citadel. The ship was quiet save for the hum of the running lights that lined the floor.   
   
Sitting up and stretching her neck, she sighed and looked around the room, not wanting to face the day and whatever news blinked on her terminal.  
   
A knock on her door and the lock turning green signaled Varric’s arrival.  
   
“You’re awake.”   
   
“Just barely.”  
   
“The Council has asked to see you and Shepard in an hour,” he said, stepping further into the room. “We have just enough time to get you updated on the data before you head out.”  
   
“Can I at least grab a shower?” she asked, feeling sticky and gross.  
   
“Go ahead,” he said, giving her a wink. “I can talk while you wash.”  
   
She cut her eyes at him but pulled herself of the bed and gathered some clothes before heading toward her private bathroom.   
   
Within a few minutes Marian was under the running water, and from what she could see through the opaque glass, Varric had taken up residence against the far wall. The glow from his datapad radiated through the glass makinghis face just a bit brighter.  
   
“What’s the situation?” she asked, lathering up her hair with the 2-in-1.   
   
“We’ve got a full day of repairs coming to us,” he admitted, his voice loud over the rush of water.  
   
“And Alfstanna’s ship?” she asked, feeling the bile rising in her throat.  
   
“We lost everyone.”  
   
She hit the sensor, turning off the water and pulled the door open far enough so she could look at her friend.  
   
“I’m sorry, what?”  
   
Marian’s stomach dropped at the look on Varric’s face.  
   
“There are no survivors of the blast that took out the ship.”  
   
“But surely,” she started.  
   
“Bray’s men were helping Theirin and Mahariel with the search. There was nothing left.”  
   
“I have to make a call.”  
   
“Marian,” Varric said, his voice filled with pity.  
   
Marian hit the sensor, hot water washing over her again as she reached for the handlebar with her other hand.  
   
“Anything else?” she asked, hoping to keep the quavering of her voice drowned out by water.  
   
“Nothing that can’t wait,” he said.  
   
She watched out of the corner of her eye as the blurred form walked out of the room, leaving her to finish cleaning.   
   
Frustration filled her chest and Marian slammed an open palm into the wall of the shower. She would not break down now, she could not.  
   
But there was a small kernel of grief in her chest that formed at the thought that she was going to have to deliver the words to Loghain sooner rather than later.  
   
It took about half an hour for Marian to finish washing, dry her hair, and put on a respectable outfit to meet the Council with. She’d left her quarters to find Varric sitting in the cockpit in her sister’s seat, the chair turned around to watch her approach.  
   
“Varric, I owe you an apology,” she said, closing the distance between them. “I’ve been a sucky friend and you don’t deserve my ire.”  
   
He pulled himself out of the seat, looking as if he were getting ready to say something and Marian held up her hand.  
   
“I’ve basically left you in charge, something you are not being compensated for, and have disappeared from your side more than I’ve been here. Today, just—“  
   
“Hawke.” His warm voice floated through the air as he stepped forward.”We just need to focus on surviving. This damned war, it’s bigger than anything we’ve ever faced, we’re not trained for this shit.”  
   
Varric paused and gave her a smile.  
   
“I have no problem covering for you if it means you’re still alive after all this; but you need to hold yourself together.”  
   
“You’re right,” she said, grimacing.   
   
“Go answer your summons,” he said. “I’ll take care of notifying Teagan and Fergus of the losses we’ve endured and they’ll inform the next of kin.”  
   
“But,” she started.  
   
“I will call Mac Tir myself.”  
   
Her heart clenched in her chest, the last thing she wanted to was for Varric to make the call.  
   
“Don’t argue with me on this,” he said, voice taking on a stern tone. “Now get out of here.”  
   
Marian nodded and turned reluctantly toward the airlock.  
   
“Thank you, Varric,” she said.  
   
“Anything for you, Hawke.”  
   
When she stepped out of the Lothering, Marian was surprised to see the Arishok standing at the end of the ramp. If she were honest with herself, she’d completely forgotten about the large qunari and hoped that she hadn’t offended him somehow.  
   
She bowed her head slightly as she approached him and the man gave her a nod.  
   
“I believe I have my answers now,” he said.  
   
Marian frowned.  
   
“What the Reapers really are.”  
   
She started, having completely forgotten about the reason why the large qunari gad been on her ship in the first place.  
   
“Your teams fought bravely and you were right, you needed that practice.”  
   
“We lost—“ she started.  
   
“You managed to save the bulk of your forces by building relationships with those who would normally be your enemies. It is commendable.”  
   
She spotted his footlocker standing nearby.  
   
“You are leaving us,” she said, rather than questioning.  
   
“It is time I gather my own armies. I cannot sit idly by any longer.with then enemy waiting to be defeated.”  
   
“Thank you for your help, Arishok,” I said. “I wish we could have gotten to know each other better over the last few weeks.”  
   
“I know more than enough about you, Hawke,” he replied, his eyes tightening on hers.  
   
Marian fought not to take a step back, fought not to respond.  
   
His large hand suddenly clapped on her shoulder and a smirk crossed his features.  
   
“You will have the whole of the qunari forces at your side.”  
   
Relief flooded her form, tingling her nerve endings from shoulder to toes.  
   
“It’s difficult to know how to respond to you, great Arishok,” she said, feeling a smile of her own on her lips.  
   
The Arishok gave a low chuckle.  
   
“Panahedan,” she said, inclining her head toward the tall man.  
   
“Panahedan, Basalit-an.”  
   
Marian watched as the man signaled for an elf to pick up his footlocker, she hadn’t even seen the servant before he’d been summoned. Marian waited as the Arishok walked away; but stayed off the Lothering’s gangplank until he disappeared.  
   
It took about twenty minutes to get an autocab to drop her off outside the Council’s chambers. This time she came without armor or weaponry and passed through security without issue. It wasn’t until Marian was walking down the corridor that she realized something was off.  
   
There was a smell in the air, as if the ventilation systems had quit working, a staleness to her surroundings that worried her.  
   
When Marian reached the lift, Shepard was already there.  
   
“What’s going on?” she asked, stepping onto the platform.  
   
Shepard shrugged as the platform rose to have them meet with the Councilors.  
   
“Thank you both for getting back to the Citadel as soon as possible.”  
   
“We didn’t have much of a choice,” Marian said, unable to stop the words from spilling from her lips.   
   
The asari councilor flinched, almost imperceptibly, but continued on.  
   
“We are sorry for the losses that your fleet incurred while in Thedosian space, however, we brought you back to let you know that the Crucible is complete.”  
   
Marian glanced over at John, who shrugged.  
   
“We discovered, with the information you retrieved, that the Citadel itself is the catalyst, the tool with which the Crucible will amplify whatever weaponry it contains. The evacuations have already begun and systems are being powered down to save on the destruction that’s likely to occur.”  
   
Marian nodded.  
   
“We’ve also uncovered some information about the Keepers. It seems that their genetics are bound to Reaper code, not unlike the Reapers attempts at indoctrination. The Keepers have been disposed of.”  
   
The asari paused, giving weight to the last few words of her statement. Marian flushed.  
   
“We would ask your fleet along with others to protect the Citadel while we wait for the Crucible’s arrival. We will not risk the weight of this vessel to move through a Relay, such a thing is almost impossible.”  
   
Marian agreed but kept her mouth shut, the news that the Citadel was supposed to power the Crucible seemed impossible. But, if the cycles past had come up with the idea, what an ingenious one, to use the Citadel as a power source.  
   
Realizing that the asari was still speaking, she snapped her attention back to the Councilor.  
   
“—You will be able to stay on the Citadel until the repairs are complete on your ships, then you will join the other fleets, those of the Batarians and the Vorcha, along with the remains of the geth and quarian ships, protecting the airspace around this vessel.”  
   
“What about the Crucible?” Marian asked.  
   
“Admiral Hackett and his human fleets will be protecting it as it travels from its construction site.”  
   
“How long will that take?” she asked.  
   
“A few days at most. We will keep you updated.”  
   
With that, the Councilor waved her hand, the platform began descending and Marian glanced at her partner.   
   
“Well then,” she said, trying to sound chipper. “At least there’s a plan.”


End file.
